Pokémon: One of a Kind
by Toadly1998
Summary: What started as an ordinary adventure became a life-changing experience for Louis Serrano. After gaining an unusual ability, he and his new friends, Taki and her Totodile, set off on an expedition to find pieces of a sacred artifact belonging to a secret tribe in the Johto Region. It's a race against time.
1. Chapter 1 - A New Encounter

**Hello everyone. I am Toadly1998.**

**Welcome to the "Pokémon: One of a Kind" story on **

**Just so you are all aware, this story is set in the Johto Region and takes place six years before the current events involving Ash Ketchum and his Pikachu.**

**...well, I've got nothing else to say. Enjoy! :)**

* * *

Louis Serrano was not like other kids. Around the age of ten, children were allowed to become Pokémon Trainers and begin their adventures. Louis, however, was not one of them. At that age, Louis declined the offer to be a trainer. It wasn't because he didn't like seeing Pokémon battle, he was just never interested in being a trainer.

At the age of thirteen, the boy grew tired of not going out on adventures, so one day, Louis decided to journey outside of his home in Flash Town. Before setting off, he double-checked his backpack with a checklist.

"Hat, keys, water, snacks, compass," he said, smiling. "All set."

He bid his mother and the family's Pidgeotto farewell and set out on his adventure, promising to be back home before bedtime.

"Be careful around that bridge!" called Louis' mother.

Louis signalled a thumbs up over his shoulder and set foot on what he hoped would be an eventful outing.

Hours later, the child with brown hair found his way to the forewarned bridge. At first, Louis didn't see anything wrong with the bridge. But then, he turned his head and spotted a pair of Gyarados' observing the structure.

"Oh boy…" he said.

Louis grew nervous. He knew the intimidating nature of a Gyarados and the danger of provoking them. He took deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself. The boy crouched and placed his back to the side of the bridge, concealing himself from the water-type monsters. Louis picked up a small, smooth pebble near his knee.

'If I can distract them with this, I can get across,' thought Louis. 'Just don't...hit...the Pokémon.'

In a clear and precise manner, Louis flicked the pebble over his shoulder. It arced gracefully in the air, over the heads of the Gyarados' and landed with a *SPLIP* sound ten feet behind them.

With a bellowing roar, the two beasts turned to face the sound.

'Now!' thought Louis.

Louis ran, pumping his legs until he crossed the bridge. He stopped at the other side, placed his back on a tree and caught his breath.

"I'm gonna need a better plan to get back!" panted Louis.

As soon as he caught his breath, Louis turned to see a vast, looming forest that crept up, forebodingly, into the skyline.

He steeled his nerves and took his first step towards the dark, misty forest, and quietly made his way inwards.

The gloomy fog of the wood engulfed Louis with its cold tendrils, sending shivers down the boy's spine. He wrapped his arms around himself, conserving the little heat he brought with him.

'I don't want to get lost in a place like this,' thought Louis.

The short walk felt like forever to Louis, the path almost extending with every step. Suddenly...a commotion reached his ears. He stopped walking and turned his head to the source of the sound, slightly relieved that he was not alone in these woods.

"Unless you want to get hurt-" a female voice demanded.

Louis took careful steps toward the sound and saw two shadows addressing a third. A small, crocodile-looking shape crouched fearfully behind one of the figures.

"-hand over yer' Pokémon, twerp!" the male voice ordered.

As Louis got closer, he heard the third figure respond.

"Forget it!" it said, with a feminine tone. "You're not getting your hands on Totodile, Hutch!"

"To-to!" said the Totodile.

The Male voice growled in response.

"It's not Hutch! It's BUTCH!" he shouted.

"Didn't ya pay attention to the motto?! It's Cassidy and Butch!"

"I don't care!" yelled the second female voice.

Louis' vision cleared. To his left, he saw a female with tied up black hair, who wore a powder blue yukata dress and a black knee-length skirt. A Totodile hid behind the female.

A movement, opposite the girl, drew Louis' attention. He saw a male and female duo. The girl had golden hair tied in two long ponytails, while the male had a short, green haircut. Louis noticed that the duo had very dark uniforms, and just barely registered that both uniforms had a big red 'R' in the centre of their shirts. Louis knew what group these two were loyal to.

'Team Rocket?' he thought. 'What are they doing here?'

The two members of Team Rocket took small steps towards the female and her Totodile.

"To-to-dile!" whimpered Totodile.

"Calm down. I'll think of something," reassured the female.

The Team Rocket members grinned confidently.

"It's too late for that. That Pokémon is ours now," the threatening girl demanded.

The green-haired member of Team Rocket approached the female and her Totodile. Louis looked on in the distance, with a disgusted expression on his face. Then, he felt the urge to charge at the members of Team Rocket, causing his legs to start shaking.

'I'm going to kick myself for this,' he thought.

Without thinking twice, Louis charged towards the Team Rocket members, barging into the green-haired boy, and knocking him into a nearby lake. The individual coughed and sputtered.

"Hey! What the heck?!" he exclaimed.

"Leave her alone!" ordered Louis.

The gathering turned their attention to Louis, his purple jacket produced the opposite effect of camouflage. The ponytailed girl scowled at Louis.

"Looks like we've got ourselves a tough guy here," she grumbled.

"I said Back Off!" demanded Louis.

The aggressive girl walked to Louis and continued to scowl at him.

"This is no place for little boys like you," she said, before pushing Louis down to the ground. Some of the contents from Louis' bag spilled out.

"Hey!" he said.

"Now get lost!" replied the Gold haired girl.

Unbeknownst to her, the second female's Totodile was preparing to attack from behind.

"She's distracted! Now!" she exclaimed.

With that command, the Totodile charged towards the golden-haired girl. The boy with green hair spun to react.

"Cassidy, watch out!" he cried.

By the time she turned around, the Totodile rammed its head into the girl and knocked her into the water. She then, accidentally, collided with the green-haired boy.

"Now, use Hydro Pump!" commanded the female.

Immediately, the Totodile spurted out a powerful gush of water towards the two members of Team Rocket. The force of it's Hydro Pump was immensely powerful. Both Team Rocket members were blasted so far back, they were no longer visible in the dark mist. Louis looked on in an amazed state.

'Whoa,' he thought.

The female smiled, knelt down to her Totodile and gently patted it on the head.

"Great job, Totodile," she complimented.

"To-to," responded Totodile

Louis noticed the items that had fallen out of his backpack. He retrieved each one and put them back into the bag.

"You there," called the female.

Louis stopped what he was doing and turned his head to the girl and her Totodile.

"Yes?" he replied.

The girl and her Totodile walk over to Louis. She reached her hand down to him.

"Are you alright?" she questioned.

A nervous Louis grabbed the girl's hand and was helped back up onto his feet. He then brushed the dust and dirt off of his clothes.

"Yeah. Better than those Team Rocket goons," he answered.

"Agreed," added the girl.

"I must thank you for saving my Pokémon," she continued. "If you had not shown up, poor little Totodile would've been taken away."

"To-todile," said Totodile.

Louis grinned in response and rubbed the back of his head.

"Hehe, It was nothing," he said

Louis then noticed, just barely in the mist, that the girl had two white feathers in her hair. He assumed that a Pokémon may have flown by and the feathers landed in the girl's hair.

"Um...you've got some feathers in your hair," he pointed out.

"These?" she said while pointing at the feathers. She smiled in reassurance.

"Don't worry, my tribe gave to me as a token of recognition," she said.

Louis raised an eyebrow.

"Tribe?" he questioned.

"Yes. My tribe are located near this forest," answered the girl. "We do what we can to preserve peace and tranquillity here in this part of the region."

Louis blinked twice, unsure of what to say. The girl noticed this.

"I take it by your silence that you're not from this area, are you?" she asked.

"Well...not really," responded Louis. "I live in Flash Town. I'm just...travelling."

Totodile became quite surprised.

"To-to?" it said.

The girl looked at her Totodile, noticing the surprise on its face. She then turned her attention back to Louis.

"That's quite far, isn't it?" she asked.

"You could say that," responded Louis.

A number of thoughts crossed the girl's mind regarding why Louis was travelling through these woods with this mist around.

"This mist will last for quite a while. Not a perfect time to be travelling through here," she said. Her eyesight shifted to Louis.

"If you'd like, I can bring you to our home until the fog subsides." suggested the girl.

Louis' eyes widened in stunned silence. He never expected this girl, who he had never met before, to bring him to her home.

"Y-...you sure your tribe won't mind?" he stuttered.

"Not at all," reassured the girl. "Besides, my tribe is aware of how thick this fog can be."

The boy thought for a brief moment. He looked around and could barely see the path in the forest. Realizing how hard it would be to keep going on in this fog, he made his decision. Louis turned back to the tribal woman.

"Okay. I'll stay until the fog goes away," he decided. "After all, I can't really see the path."

The girl nodded in response. She turned to Totodile and signalled it to start following her. She then flicked her attention back to Louis.

"Follow me," she said.

She and her Totodile proceeded to travel toward their home, as Louis followed from behind.

The walk was particularly quiet since neither Louis nor the girl made any conversation. Eventually, Louis decided to break the silence.

"By the way, my name's Louis," he said. "What's yours?"

– "Taki. Call me Taki,"

"Taki?" said Louis. "That's a nice name."

After a short time, Taki and Totodile pushed past a large bush near the edge of the forest. Louis followed suit. Then, the cold chill that Louis felt inside the woods subsided, and he smiled in relief.

As the mist started dissipating around the pair, Louis saw something that made his eyes widen in shock. Taki's home wasn't a village or a field. It was a large temple, that had the colours red, green, white, and some traces of gold painted on the exterior.

"Wow, what a temple," he said.

"Your tribe resides here?" asked Louis.

"Of course," replied Taki. "This temple is a sacred place for us all. We do what we can to protect it."

A few thoughts crossed Louis' mind, especially about the temple.

"So, is this place well-known in Johto?" he asked.

"Not necessarily," replied Taki.

She turned around to Louis.

"You see, our tribe lives in secret from the outside world," she continued. "Not many people are aware of its existence."

"What if somebody were to discover it by accident?" added Louis.

"Unless they were lost, or trying to find shelter during a rainy day, we would ask them politely, yet firmly, to leave," answered Taki.

Louis immediately grew worried, thinking that he may be asked to leave.

"Don't worry," said Taki. "Our tribe will be happy to welcome you. After all, you did save Totodile,"

Louis sighed in relief and they approach the entrance to the temple. Totodile walked in first, while Taki turned to Louis.

"Wait here," she said.

Taki walked into the temple. Louis stood, getting a good view of the scenery surrounding the structure. He then heard a noise from behind. The boy, curious as he was, turned to see what the source was. It was a Scizor, and it's intimidating force swept over Louis.

"At ease, Scizor," a voice called from inside the temple.

The Scizor nodded and walked past Louis. It then turned its attention to the boy.

"Sci-zor," it said.

Louis had a feeling it was signalling him to come into the temple, and he proceeded to walk through the entrance.

As the boy entered the temple, he stared at the interior design of the place in awe. There were extravagant and delicate lanterns hanging from the roof, their soft light permeating the room. Louis glanced down at the solid, dark wooden floorboards underfoot. He realized that the texture looked similar to the spooky and sinister forest he just left. The air inside was scented with sandalwood, and it filled Louis' lungs and relaxed his mind.

He looked around and saw a number of tribe members taking care of their Pokémon. Louis warmed inside at the sight. Finally, at the very end of the temple, there was a large golden statue of a bird Pokémon. Louis couldn't believe what he was seeing.

His attention then shifted to Taki, who was standing next to an elderly man that was wearing a black yukata and a conical straw hat. The man approached Louis, with a friendly smile on his face.

"Greetings, I am Chief Tanaka," he introduced.

"What name shall we refer to you as, boy?"

Louis blinked twice in nervousness. He had never met the chief of a tribe before.

"L-...Louis," stammered the child. "It's uh...nice to meet you."

"Oh no, the pleasure is all mine," replied Chief Tanaka.

"You did well, child," he continued. "It's not every day that an unknown stranger helps save a Pokémon and its trainer."

A smile formed on the boy's cheeks. He felt honoured to be thanked by the chief of a tribe.

"I guess you could say I was at the right place, at the right time," he said.

The chief looked to Taki, and she smiled in reply. He returned his focus to Louis.

"Well, feel free to have a look around," said Chief Tanaka. "Just please don't touch anything, okay?"

Louis nodded in reply. He started to walk around the temple, observing the current events of other members. As he was looking around, he spotted an elderly woman who looked quite upset. Louis was curious about why she was sad but didn't want to bother her.

Louis sat down in front of the gold statue of the bird Pokémon. Louis didn't know what Pokémon it was but was still intrigued by it nonetheless. From behind, Taki approached Louis.

"Here," she said.

She presented Louis with a small bowl of tea.

"Oh, thanks. ...what's it for?" questioned Louis.

"The chief wanted me to give you this as a way to say thank you for saving Totodile," answered Taki.

"...that's nice of him," complimented Louis.

Louis picked up the bowl, and Taki walked back to her Totodile. Louis prepared to drink the tea, but before he could do that, Louis noticed a red feather in his cup. He then looked to the chief.

"Excuse me, chief?" said Louis.

The chief turned his gaze toward Louis and walked over to him. The boy, in turn, pointed to the feather in curiosity.

"Um...what's with the feather in my tea?" he asked.

"That is no ordinary feather, young one," explained Chief Tanaka, chuckling. "That feather you have belongs to the Legendary Pokémon, Ho-Oh"

Louis stared at the chief in stunned silence.

"H-...Ho-Oh?" he stuttered. "...I thought it was just a myth."

"Oh, it's real," replied Chief Tanaka. "I remember seeing that Pokémon with my own two eyes when I was a child."

"Really?" inquired Louis.

Chief Tanaka nodded in response. Louis gazed at the chief and shrugged. He faced the gold statue of the bird Pokémon.

"Is that the Pokémon depicted on this statue?" he asked.

"That's right," replied Chief Tanaka.

To say that Louis was amazed would be an understatement. He shifted his eyesight to the bowl of tea he received from the chief.

Although Louis wasn't really a tea drinker, he knew that it would be rude to turn down a thank you gift like this.

Louis moved the tea bowl toward his mouth and drank the beverage. Thankfully, he didn't accidentally drink the feather as well. The tea tasted quite bitter and he almost spat it out. He covered his mouth to prevent the urge. He then took a deep breath through his nose. Afterwards, he managed to swallow the tea and cleared his throat.

"I...I'm sorry," he apologised. "It's the first time I've ever had this kind of tea."

"That's ok," replied Chief Tanaka. "It's an acquired taste,"

"Maybe it could acquire a more pleasant flavour…" winced Louis, jokingly.

Chief Tanaka chuckled in response as the boy's stomach started to churn. He heard footsteps behind him and turned his head to that direction. It was Taki and Totodile, walking outside. Intrigued, Louis gazed back to the chief

"Um...hope you don't mind, but I might have a look around the outside of this place," he said.

The child helped himself back onto his feet. However, as soon as he stood up, disorientation and a booming headache ruptured clear thought from his mind. Chief Tanaka sensed something was happening.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Louis struggled to stand up properly. He almost fell over one time, but just managed to stay on both feet

"Ugh...what was in that tea?" he asked, dizzily.

Unfortunately, the headache grew into a migraine, and Louis collapsed onto the ground. The world began to blur in his view.

"No! Don't touch him!" a muffled voice said.

As Louis registered this, his eyesight faded into complete, abysmal darkness.

* * *

**Thanks for reading. Is there something you enjoyed? Can you guess what happens next? Or...what do you hope to see in future chapters? If so, go ahead and leave a review explaining any of these reasons. (Please don't leave hurtful reviews)**

**If you enjoy this story and don't want to miss out on future chapters, go ahead and follow/favourite this story so you will be notified when a new chapter is released. Heck, feel free to share this story with your friends.**

**Thanks again. See you next time**


	2. Chapter 2 - Look who's Talking

Eventually, after what seemed like an eternity, Louis regained consciousness. He sat up, rubbed his eyes, and looked from side to side. He realized he was all alone and that nobody was in the main room of the temple.

'Hey, where is everybody?' he thought.

He found his feet, got up off the floor and went for a stroll out of the room. Before doing so, Louis felt something dangling on his neck. He gazed down and saw a shiny, blue pendant. Louis wasn't sure why he had a pendant now.

While looking in the different rooms, he noticed that a majority of the tribespeople were asleep. He noticed an open window nearby and looked outside expecting to see a bright, hot sun. Only to be met with a cold gaze of the moon in the night sky.

"Wha-...how long was I out?" he blurted.

Suddenly, from outside, three deep, mischievous voices met Louis' ears.

'What the heck?' he thought.

A sense of vigilance flowed through Louis' body, and he walked out to the moonlit outdoors. As he did so, the three voices formed into laughter. Believing that the voices were coming from a group of thieves, Louis knelt down and picked up a long, thick stick at his feet. He proceeded to hold it like a baseball bat and moved closer to the voices. However, as he got closer, the voices fell silent. Louis stopped in his tracks. He looked from side to side to see if anyone was in sight, but then...

"Hmm, nice pendant," a voice said.

"Thanks," replied Louis.

He immediately froze in place, knowing that someone, or something, was behind him. Louis slowly turned around and was met face to face with...a Haunter. The boy gasped loudly, dropped the stick and fell backwards on the cold ground, landing on his backside. The Haunter was joined by a Gastly and Gengar, where all three of them laughed at Louis as he slowly backed away from them.

"Never seen this one before," said Gastly.

"Hehehehehe, a fresh target," added Gengar.

Louis quickly stopped retreating and blinked twice in confusion and amazement. Was he still dreaming, or did those Pokémon actually talk?

'What the?' he thought.

Louis stuck one of his fingers in his right ear and tried cleaning it out.

"Let's have some fun with this one, shall we?" suggested Haunter.

The three Ghost Pokémon approached Louis. Then, the boy put his right hand in front of the three Pokémon in an attempt to stop them.

"Whoa whoa, wait a second," halted Louis. "...did...did you three just talk?"

The three Pokémon stopped with a mixture of surprise and confusion. They looked at each other briefly and then looked back to Louis.

"...you can understand what we're saying?" asked Haunter.

Louis scratched his head.

"Uh...yeah?" he replied.

The Gengar became visibly shocked, and exchanged nervous glances with its companions.

"Wait! But how?!" it questioned.

Before answering, a peculiar thought crossed Louis' mind. A mischievous one to be precise. He decided to play around with these Pokémon.

"Maybe you're not the only ghosts around here," he sinisterly said.

"Huh?!" exclaimed the three Pokémon.

Louis slowly crept up to the ghost Pokémon with an evil grin developing on his face. He leaned in closer to them, and...

"Boo," he said

The ghostly trio of Pokémon began to panic. In a hurry, all three of them ran from Louis. He laughed at the Pokémon as they bolted. The boy stopped to regain his composure and began to think. If he could hear those Pokémon talk, would other Pokémon be talking as well?

Louis looked up to see a horde of Zubats flying in the sky, and to his surprise, he could hear them talk as well. He glanced over to the bushes, close to the temple, and witnessed a pair of Rattatas conversing with each other. The boy smiled in amazement.

'This is incredible,' he thought. 'All the Pokémon are speaking human language!'

Louis thought he must still be dreaming if Pokémon could talk. He pinched himself to see if he was actually awake, and...he was. Louis couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"You're awake," a voice said.

The startled boy turned around, suspecting it to be another Pokémon, but it was only Taki approaching the boy.

"Oh hey, Taki," he greeted.

Taki was relieved that Louis was ok, especially with how he fell earlier. As she got closer, Taki saw a surprised expression on his face.

"Are you ok?" she asked. "You look like you just saw a ghost."

"Technically, I did," replied Louis. "I saw a Gastly, Haunter and Gengar just now."

Immediately after, Taki groaned.

"Those three?" she grumbled. "Why won't they leave us alone?"

Louis, still surprised, grew curious. This mustn't have been the first time they came to this temple and tried to cause mischief.

"You're familiar with them?" questioned the boy.

Taki sighed.

"Unfortunately…" she replied. "They're always looking to cause mischief around here. It's been getting really annoying."

After a brief moment, Louis shrugged in reply, understanding what Taki was getting at. But Louis wasn't really interested in that, he needed to tell Taki what had happened.

"That's not the only thing though," added Louis.

"Huh?" said Taki, curiously.

"When I encountered those Pokémon, I could actually hear them talk!" explained Louis.

"In fact, I could hear some other Pokémon talk as well," he continued.

At that moment, Taki's eyes widened in surprise.

"No way!" she exclaimed. "You too?!"

"Yeah, I-..." paused Louis.

He looked at Taki with a confused expression on his face.

"Wait, ...'too'?" he questioned.

"Y-yes" stammered Taki.

Taki looked all around her to make sure it was just her and Louis outside. Thankfully, no one else was present, so Taki could explain to Louis what she's talking about. She signaled him to come closer and leaned in close to his ear.

"Between you and me, this tribe has a uniqueness to it," whispered Taki.

"The thing is, the tribespeople here can all talk to Pokémon. It's our special quirk," she explained.

Louis' eyes widened in amazement. Was what Taki saying true? Could everyone in her tribe talk to Pokémon? Louis needed to be sure.

"So...you're actually being serious here?" he questioned.

"Louis, this is not something I would lie about," answered Taki.

Their conversation was, however, interrupted by a strange, purple glow from beneath the duo. They peered downwards, to see a small, oddly shaped object at their feet.

"What's this thing?" said Louis.

Taki knelt down, picked up the item and inspected it. This object looked as if though it had broken off another object, like a vase or a crystal. Unfortunately, Taki couldn't really tell what exactly it was.

"I'm not sure," she replied. "I may need to show this to Chief Tanaka."

"Good idea," said Louis.

At that moment, both Taki and Louis heard the sound of an argument coming from the forest. Curious to see what was going on, both of them walked towards the commotion. It turned out that the arguing was coming from a pair of Sandshrews.

"Well, I bet I can dig faster than you!" proclaimed the first Sandshrew.

"Can not!" replied the second Sandshrew.

– "Can too!"

The Sandshrews continued going back and forth as Louis and Taki observed. The boy then sat down on a nearby rock.

"Here's a bright idea…" he called.

The two Sandshrews stopped arguing and turned their heads to Louis.

"...how about you two have a race and see who can dig over to me the fastest," continued Louis. "Whoever makes it first is the winner."

The Sandshrews looked at Louis with intrigued expressions displayed on their faces. They quickly turned their gazes to each other.

"Did he just understand us?" questioned the first Sandshrew

"I don't know," answered the second Sandshrew.

They stared, intrigued at Louis to see if he had really understood them. The boy nodded at the two Pokémon, confirming their thoughts. Both Pokémon were dumbfounded that a human could understand them now. After a brief pause, the Sandshrews start to dig down. They both dug to the required depth at the exact same time. Louis then spoke to Taki as they watched.

"They're totally gonna finish at the same time," he said.

Immediately after, two short, rumbling hills of dirt hurtle towards Louis and Taki. Then, simultaneously, the two Sandshrews pop up out of the ground. They turned to each other in an attempt to gloat about their victory. However, they then noticed one another and looked surprised.

"See?" said Louis. "You're both just as fast as each other. There's no debate in that,"

The first Sandshrew, however, was not ready to admit that it wasn't as good as it thought.

"Yeah, well...I'm still stronger," it proclaimed.

Louis leaned in closer to the first Sandshrew with a smirk on his face.

"If you were, you would've gotten here faster," he said.

This left the first Sandshrew in stunned silence. The second Sandshrew couldn't help but giggle at its buddy. It then pointed out that it didn't matter if they're faster or not, both of them are still Pokémon. The first Sandshrew smiled and agreed with the other. They both high-fived each other and dug underground once again, with the small rumbling hills travelling in the opposite direction. Louis smiled as he and Taki watched them leave.

"That was quick," said Taki.

– "What was? The Sandshrews?"

"No. You being so calm about being able to talk to Pokémon," answered Taki "I expected it would've taken you at least a week to wrap your head around the whole thing."

"Well, there's one thing my mom has taught me," said Louis. "And that is to 'expect the unexpected'."

Taki nodded in agreement at Louis' response.

"Very wise of your mother," complimented Taki.

Louis smiled. He looked up to the moon and began to think about what had happened to him today. At that moment, he remembered how he promised his mother that he would be home before bedtime.

"The moon's up," pointed out Louis. "I gotta get home."

Taki noticed how worried Louis was getting now. She realised that his parents may be worried sick about Louis.

"I'll come with you," said Taki. "I can help explain to your parents why you were out for a while."

Louis' eyes shift to Taki, looking at her with curiosity and surprise.

"You don't mind?" he asked.

"Not at all," replied Taki. "Besides, I do owe you for before."

Louis then shared a heartfelt smile with Taki. She did have a point about how he saved her Totodile, and if it wasn't for that, none of this would've ever happened. Louis got up off the rock.

"Thanks, Taki," he said.

Both Louis and Taki made their way back to Louis' hometown. It would be an understatement for Louis to say that this was just an ordinary day. Nothing would be the same in Louis' life after today. He began wondering how he would explain all this to his parents. But for now, he was more focused on getting back home.

"What a day, huh?" said Louis.

– "Yeah. What a day."

* * *

**Thanks for reading. Is there something you enjoyed? Can you guess what happens next? Or...what do you hope to see in future chapters? If so, go ahead and leave a review explaining any of these reasons. (Please don't leave hurtful reviews)**

**If you enjoy this story and don't want to miss out on future chapters, go ahead and follow/favourite this story so you will be notified when a new chapter is released. Heck, feel free to share this story with your friends.**

**Thanks again. See you next time**


	3. Chapter 3 - Ghost Kid's Homecoming

The pair re-entered the forest from earlier, only this time, there was no mist around to impair their vision. However, at some point, they could both hear a loud commotion in the distance.

"What was that?" questioned Taki.

"I don't know," answered Louis. "Come on!"

They both began to jog towards the source of the sounds. As they got closer, it turned out that it was none other than the three ghost Pokémon that Louis encountered moments earlier. All three were scaring another individual, but then, out the corner of its eye, the Gengar spotted Louis and Taki getting closer.

"Gen! Gen-Gar Gen!" it cried.

"Haunt?" said Haunter.

Both Haunter and Gastly looked in the direction that Gengar was gazing at and saw the boy. Once again, they became scared and, very quickly, dashed out of sight. The stranger looked at the two children.

"Um...thanks...kids?!" he stuttered.

"Don't worry about them," reassured Louis.

"Just go home," he continued.

Almost immediately, the stranger took off. After he was out of sight, Louis started to chuckle. Taki grew curious at the boy's laughter.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"Those three are calling me ghost kid, now," replied Louis.

– "Ghost kid?"

"Yep," answered the boy.

"This may surprise you, but I gave them a little scare myself," he explained.

Taki's eyes widened in stunned silence.

"...you scared a Gengar?!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, it was easy," said Louis. "Sometimes, the scariest of people are the most afraid."

Taki wondered, for a second, the origin of such a phrase.

"Is that another thing your mother taught you?" she questioned.

"No. My dad taught me that one" answered Louis.

Before taking off, Louis then remembered the bridge that had the Gyarados' nearby. Taki reassured the boy that the Pokémon sleep at night, so they could safely cross. Louis sighed in relief.

After crossing the bridge and walking for a while, the twilight glow of an evening-lit area began to permeate the darkness.

"That must be Flash Town," Louis pointed out.

As they approached, a village of wood and brick met their gaze. Its garden aromas filled the air with floral scents. Numerous cottages lined the well-kept streets, and the smell of delicious food from the inhabitants' dinner found their noses. Louis' stomach grumbled.

"Oh man," he said, quietly.

"There's no way I'm going to bed hungry."

A short walk later, Louis and Taki arrived at Louis' home. Through a window, they spotted Louis' mother. In turn, she notices Louis outside with Taki. His mother quickly dashed to the door, opened it, and looked outside.

"Louis!" she cried.

"Oh, thank goodness!"

She jogged over to Louis and hugged him tightly. A look of concern on her face displayed her worry.

"What happened to you?" she asked.

"It's so late!"

Louis, feeling a little bit unsure, looked to Taki. She signalled him to tell his mother. Then, Louis looked back to his mother.

"...it's a long story," he said.

Louis' stomach grumbled again. The demanding hunger-growl heard clearly in the mother's ears.

"Hmm, you must be starving," she said.

Minutes passed, while Louis devoured a plate of the finest curry, composed of vegetables and rice, he and Taki explained the whole situation to Louis' mother. However, she remained uncertain about the legitimacy of their story.

"So let me get this right," she started.

"You rescued this young girl's Pokémon, she invited you back to her tribe, you were given some of their tea, and now...you can suddenly talk to Pokémon?"

Louis swallowed a mouthful of food and looked to his mother.

"That's pretty much it in a nutshell," he answered.

Across the room, the family's Pidgeotto, perched on a windowsill rolled its eyes.

"Riiight," it groaned.

"Next minute he'll say that he is a Pokémon."

Louis overheard what the bird said. His eyes shifted towards the Pokémon and scowled at it.

"I heard that, Pidgeotto!" growled Louis.

Taki peered at Louis from the side.

"What did it say?" she asked.

– "*sigh* Pidgeotto said-"

Louis paused. He turned to Taki with a bewildered look on his face. Did he hear that right? Is Taki not able to hear Pokémon talk? There was only one way to find out.

"Wait. You don't know what it said?" he asked.

"...no?" replied Taki.

At that moment, Louis' eyes widened with a flabbergasted expression.

"You can't understand Pokémon?" he added.

Taki shook her head.

"No, I can't," she said.

– "Wha-...why not?"

"I wasn't able to drink the tea," answered Taki.

"It was way too bitter for me."

Louis looked on, bewildered at what Taki just explained.

"Oh…" he quietly said.

The boy suddenly had a passing thought regarding the tea.

"Wait, it was the tea that gave me this ability?" he questioned.

"I believe so," responded Taki, nodding as well.

"I don't know how, but I think it may have something to do with the feather of Ho-Oh that Chief Tanaka puts in it."

Louis' mother had trouble understanding what was going on. Louis noticed this and turned to his mother.

"I know this all sounds ridiculous, but it's true," he said.

"I really can talk to Pokémon."

"Well, you have always been a little different to everyone else," said Louis' mother.

Louis was about to object to what she said, but after a brief moment, he realised what she actually meant and stopped himself.

"...oh yeah," he said.

Taki wasn't really sure what they meant by that. Louis' mother began cleaning away her son's finished dinner. As she went to the kitchen to wash up, Taki leaned closer to Louis.

"Louis, I'm sorry but what is she talking about?" she inquired.

Louis hesitated for a moment. He felt that this answer might make him look odd.

"I'm...I'm not a Pokémon Trainer," he explained.

Taki seemed intrigued by Louis' answer.

"You're not?" she questioned.

"How come?

"I was never interested in being one," said Louis.

Taki just looked at him with a deadpan stare.

"...is that it?" she said.

"Yeah," replied Louis.

"The thing is, I never pictured myself as being a Pokémon Trainer."

"Me neither," offered Taki.

Upon saying this, the height of the moon in the clouds alerted Taki of the time.

"Hey, it's getting late..." she said.

"...I should get back home."

Louis stretched and yawned.

"Maybe catch you at the temple tomorrow?" he voiced through the satisfying yawn.

Taki nodded. She stood up and walked toward the door, but not before looking to the boy's mother.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, ...uh," she paused.

"You can call me Janet," answered Louis' mother, smiling.

* * *

**Thanks for reading. Is there something you enjoyed? Can you guess what happens next? Or...what do you hope to see in future chapters? If so, go ahead and leave a review explaining any of these reasons. (Please don't leave hurtful reviews)**

**If you enjoy this story and don't want to miss out on future chapters, go ahead and follow/favourite this story so you will be notified when a new chapter is released. Heck, feel free to share this story with your friends.**

**Thanks again. See you next time**


	4. Chapter 4 - Back to the Temple

The next day, Louis awoke with a curious mind. The previous night's conversation playing on loop. With a new sense of adventure, he returned to the bridge.

'..."Me neither."...what did Taki mean by that?!' he pondered.

As he approached the wooden structure, Louis noticed the same two Gyarados' from the day before swimming towards the bridge. Unlike the previous encounter, Louis decided not to distract the pair of Pokémon. He took small steps across the bridge and looked to the large beasts with a reassuring expression on his face.

"Don't mind me, just passing by," he said.

Thankfully, he crossed the bridge without any issue involving the Gyarados'. He sighed in relief and approached the forest.

'Wow, that actually worked,' he thought.

Upon entering the wood, Louis spotted an arrow etched into the dirt. He thought that Taki must've drawn them to help guide him back to the temple.

"This'll be convenient," he said.

With this help, Louis quickly found his way back to the temple. As he reached the grand structure, the Scizor from the day before landed in front of Louis and entered a combat stance. Louis became startled and mimicked its stance. The two stared at each other with opposed stances. The Scizor recognised Louis from yesterday.

"Oh, it's you," it said and relaxed its guard.

The Scizor's face shifted, to what Louis hoped was a grin, as it pointed to the entrance.

"The girl is waiting for you," it added.

Louis cautiously passed the Pokémon and walked toward the entrance.

"I'm surprised you can talk to Pokémon now," said Scizor.

Louis halted in shock. He turned back to Scizor.

"H-...how did you know that?" he asked.

"The girl already informed me about it," responded Scizor.

Louis fell silent. He walked through the entranceway and recognised the scent of sandalwood, its earthly smoke calming his mind. Louis was then greeted by Taki and Totodile.

"Hey Taki," said Louis.

"Sleep well?" asked Totodile.

Louis was a little surprised at the sudden interaction with the Pokémon. It seemed genuinely interested. Louis smiled.

"Uh...yeah I did," he replied.

Louis knelt down to the Totodile.

"...aren't you surprised I can understand you?" he questioned.

Totodile just shook its head.

"Not really. Taki already gave me a heads up," it answered, smiling.

Louis shifted his eyes to Taki.

"She did?" he continued.

An elderly temple inhabitant scooted by the pair with fresh candles and sandalwood in hand. She methodically removed the expired candles of the previous evening and placed fresh, long, tall candles within the lanterns.

Louis stood up and glanced at Taki.

"Hey, Taki," said Louis

"About last night…"

Taki looked at Louis with a curious expression.

"Yeah? What about it?" she asked.

"Well, when I said that I never pictured myself as a Pokémon Trainer, you said 'Me neither'," explained Louis.

"...what did you mean by that?"

Taki was a little shy in answering. She had almost forgotten about that moment.

"Uh...well…" stammered Taki.

"The thing is...I never used to be a trainer myself."

Louis became perplexed at Taki's answer.

"You weren't?" he inquired.

– "No."

Taki stood, pondering on what she could say to explain herself. It wasn't easy and she shifted on the spot, hesitantly. Then, Totodile nudged her leg. She looked to her Pokémon, it nodded, signaling her to just tell him the whole situation. Taki smiled and looked back to Louis.

"For a long time, I thought that being a trainer wasn't necessary since Pokémon could take care of themselves," she explained.

"That is...until I met Totodile."

Louis turned to Totodile with a perplexed expression. He looked back to Taki.

"What do you mean?" he questioned.

Taki took a calm, deep breath, and began to explain everything.

"Not too long ago, when I was searching for supplies in the forest, I spotted this Totodile in the mist," she started.

"It was whimpering, and I noticed that it had teary eyes. Such pathetic cries, I couldn't just leave it."

"Pathetic?!" grunted Totodile.

Louis chortled, barely containing a laugh.

"So I took it back to the temple. I didn't know what to do but I figured the chief would have an idea," continued Taki.

"They spoke between themselves for a little while and Totodile started crying again. Chief Tanaka placed an arm on its shoulders and looked at me. He told me that Totodile had been abandoned by its trainer."

Louis' expression twisted into a combination of shock and anger.

"Abandoned?!" he exclaimed.

"That's disgusting!" he continued.

"Well..." explained Taki.

"...that's when the Chief said, and I quote, 'A girl without a Pokémon meets a creature without a trainer. There's a reason you found this Pokémon'."

The Totodile looked up, playfully.

"To-to," it said in approval.

"So, it became yours?" asked Louis.

"That's right. And we've been traveling together for almost two years," replied Taki.

Louis smiled. The tale of companionship warming his heart.

"The chief's a good guy," he complimented.

Taki nodded.

The group strolled over to the golden effigy of Ho-Oh. It's surface glistening in the day's light. Shortly after, another figure approached from behind.

It was Chief Tanaka.

"Ah, come back for another day, child?" said Chief Tanaka.

Louis met his gaze.

"Oh, hey Chief..." he acknowledged, smiling in the process.

"...I sure did."

It was then that Louis remembered the exact reason why he came back to the temple in the first place. He walked over to the chief.

"Hey, Chief," said Louis. "Can I speak to you about something?"

"Of course," replied Chief Tanaka. "What is it that you wish to talk about?"

Louis took a deep breath while ensuring he was clear and precise in his explanation.

"Yesterday, something happened to me after I drank that tea..." started Louis.

"...because when I first regained consciousness, I discovered that I could talk to Pokémon."

Chief Tanaka simply looked at the boy with a curious demeanor.

"How is that possible?" questioned Louis.

The Chief stayed silent for a brief moment. Then, he bowed his head and revealed why this had happened to Louis.

"When I first saw you, I had a strong feeling that you may have some connection to this tribe but I wasn't sure," explained Chief Tanaka.

"I gave you the tea to see if my thoughts were true. And now that you've told me that you can communicate with Pokémon, I'm certain."

Louis looked at the chief with a puzzled expression.

"Connection?" he said.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that someone in your family bloodline must've been a part of this tribe in the past," answered Chief Tanaka.

"It's the only possible reason."

Louis still didn't understand what the chief was talking about. Chief Tanaka realised that what he said wouldn't be enough to answer Louis' question. So, he decided to explain everything.

"A long time ago, when this tribe was in its early stages, Ho-Oh flew across the sky creating a rainbow," he started.

"The tribe was celebrating the event, but then, one of its feathers floated down to the Earth below."

Louis had trouble placing the pieces together of Chief Tanaka's explanation, even with the detailed information.

"That feather managed to land in a tribe member's tea. So, when he drank it, the magic began," continued Chief Tanaka.

"Do you recall what happened when you drank the tea?" The elder asked.

The boy had to think for a moment. Louis then recollected what happened to him after drinking the tea yesterday.

"Well, I remember the headache, dizziness, and finally passing out," he said.

"That's exactly what happened to this individual," replied Chief Tanaka.

"After that, we discovered that this person could now talk to Pokémon. At first, the tribe wasn't sure what had caused this. But then, we realised that it may have had something to do with the feather."

The Chief continued to explain the whole story to Louis. He revealed that the other members of the tribe tested drinking the tea with the feather in it as well. All of them had the same results.

He then explained how over generations, it was tested on people outside of their tribe, with no blood relations. However, none of them had the same results as the tribe members.

Louis finally understood what all this meant.

He stared at his open hand and locked himself in thought.

'So...that's why I can talk to Pokémon,' he thought.

'My blood is connected to this tribe. But...who in my family tree has been a part of this tribe?'

* * *

**"Ooohhh. Interesting!"**

**Thanks for reading. Is there something you enjoyed? Can you guess what happens next? Or...what do you hope to see in future chapters? If so, go ahead and leave a review explaining any of these reasons. (Please don't leave hurtful reviews)**

**If you enjoy this story and don't want to miss out on future chapters, go ahead and follow/favourite this story so you will be notified when a new chapter is released. Heck, feel free to share this story with your friends.**

**Thanks again. See you next time**


	5. Chapter 5 - A Crystal Clear Truth

The boy had a lot to take in. This new information circled in his mind like a hungry bird of prey. He was about to head outside when Chief Tanaka spoke.

"One more thing," the elder said.

Louis stopped in his tracks and turned to the chief.

"Yes sir?" he replied.

The chief outstretched his left arm, grasping something. He opened up his palm revealing the purple fragment from last night. The boy's eyes widened at the revelation

"Where exactly did you find this?" asked Chief Tanaka.

"Outside the temple," answered Louis. "I'm guessing one of those Ghost Pokémon I scared off last night dropped it."

The look of curiosity on Chief Tanaka's face shifted into an expression filled with worry.

"Oh dear," he said.

Both Taki and Louis looked on with a hint of confusion.

"Is something wrong?" questioned Taki.

"Yes," answered Chief Tanaka.

"This is a piece of a sacred artifact of ours. An artifact that should be whole."

The trio of Louis, Taki and Totodile listened with open ears.

"The fact that the Ghost Pokémon had a piece worries me greatly," continued Chief Tanaka.

"Why?" asked Totodile.

"This fragment is but a small shard of what we call... 'The Grand Crystal'," replied Chief Tanaka.

"This ancient crystal predates people and all we have are myths. It is said that when the light hits it, a rainbow is formed and Ho-Oh appears."

"But, what does this mean?" asked Taki.

"I think…" the chief paused.

"...someone is trying to end the tribe."

* * *

**"Uh oh! That can't be good!"**

**Thanks for reading. Is there something you enjoyed? Can you guess what happens next? Or...what do you hope to see in future chapters? If so, go ahead and leave a review explaining any of these reasons. (Please don't leave hurtful reviews)**

**If you enjoy this story and don't want to miss out on future chapters, go ahead and follow/favourite this story so you will be notified when a new chapter is released. Heck, feel free to share this story with your friends.**

**Thanks again. See you next time**


	6. Chapter 6 - The Adventure Begins

The trio, wracked with thought, exited the temple. The world outside continued in its daily routine. The fresh air from the valley filled their lungs. As they passed the Scizor, it nodded.

"Good luck," it said.

"Uh...thanks," replied Louis.

The boy began to ponder the situation. He wondered how the trio would be able to find all the pieces of this crystal, and thought about where they would be located.

Then, all three heard a strange whistling sound coming from behind. It crescendoed and ended abruptly.

"What was that?" questioned Totodile.

"Dunno," replied Louis.

At the stop of the whistling, a thundering of hooves beat the air like a percussionist and the group noticed a rapidly approaching cloud of dust.

"What is it?" asked Louis.

Before Taki could answer, the sounds of hooves skidded to a halt, causing a cloud of dust and dirt to surround the group. All three saw the visage of a Pokémon that had the shape of a horse. As the dust settled, their vision cleared and they saw that the figure was…

"Whoa! A Rapidash!" said Louis, in awe.

"Yes. I called it here," a voice said.

Chief Tanaka approached from behind. Rapidash nodded at his arrival.

"It will take you to the location of the first piece," said Chief Tanaka.

Louis looked at the fiery mane of the Rapidash in concern.

"Um, I'm not gonna catch fire on it, am I?" he asked.

The Rapidash looked at the boy with a blunt expression.

"No," it said.

Hesitantly, but eventually, the group mounted the steed. Taki swooped up the Totodile in her grip and sat at the front while Louis, cautiously, hopped on behind her.

"Good luck," said Chief Tanaka.

He then looked to Rapidash.

"Run like the wind," he continued.

Rapidash nodded to the chief. It pivoted on the spot and galloped away. In a matter of seconds, the Pokémon reached its max speed and the group held on to each other tightly.

The view blurred past them like a speeding bullet train. They crossed grasslands, fields, streams, and rivers. In the distance, three small figures crouched on the road. Their mischievous activity obscured from the group's view.

"Group ahead, slow down!" pleaded Totodile.

However, the Rapidash wasn't showing any signs of stopping.

"I SAID SLOW DOWN!" shouted Totodile.

"Still can't hear you!" replied Rapidash.

Louis just barely recognised the purple shapes ahead. He realised that it was the same Ghost Pokémon from the night before. An idea flashed across the boy's mind.

"Speed up!" suggested Louis, with a devilish grin.

"Wait, what?!" exclaimed Taki.

Metres away now, an ear flicked up on the Gengar as it turned to see an inescapable hooved mass bearing down on them and realised they had no time to react.

"Oh no," it whimpered.

The steed struck the Ghost Pokémon with immeasurable force, scattering the troublesome trio skyward. Louis leaned back and pointed at the three Pokémon.

"Remember me?" he called.

"I've got a Rapidash now!"

As they fell, Gastly was able to recognise Louis on the Rapidash.

"Oh, come on!" it grunted before it was obscured by a cloud of dust.

After a minute, Louis had regained enough composure to stop laughing and noticed a very unimpressed scowl from Taki.

"What?" said Louis.

A few leagues later, Rapidash slowed to a halt.

"We could use a break now," it said.

The trio dismounted, and stretched as Louis tried to gauge how far they had travelled.

"It sure is fast," he said.

"This would've taken at least a day on foot."

"You're right. It would have," acknowledged Rapidash.

Taki brushed herself of the dust and leaves gathered on the ride.

Suddenly, a small whiskered Meowth sprinted past them, a look of glee on its face. Totodile saw that the Meowth had a Shiny Goldeen in hand.

"Hey, nice catch," it said.

"Ha!" called Meowth as it ran out of view.

It took a few seconds to process what had happened.

"That was weird," said Louis.

Eventually, it was time to get moving again.

"Ok, mount up," said Rapidash.

All three members of the group got back on the Pokémon and sped off.

They rode with pace, the group getting a good look at all the scenery around them. Eventually, the fields turned to streams, and plains to rivers. But then, Taki noticed a figure holding a fishing rod by some docks, running around in a flurry.

"What's going on over there?" wondered Taki.

As they got closer, they could hear the fisherman speaking in a panicked tone.

"Where is it?! Where is it?! WHERE IS IT?!" he cried.

"Huh?" The trio said in unison.

"Wait! Stop here!" suggested Taki.

With that command, Rapidash halted to a stop beside the fisherman.

"Hey, is everything alright?" questioned Taki.

"No," answered the fisherman while going through his possessions, launching some over his shoulder.

"What's wrong?" asked Louis.

"I can't find the Pokémon I just caught," replied the fisherman.

"I spent a year tracking that fish!"

The Totodile looked to Taki and Louis, and whispered…

"Does he mean that Goldeen?"

A glint of recollection now completed a question they previously asked. Louis turned to the fisherman.

"Was it a Shiny Goldeen?" he questioned.

The fisherman dropped the items and stared at the group.

"Y-yes," he stammered.

"How did you know?"

"Do you own a Meowth?" inquired Louis.

– "No."

"Well, we just saw one carrying your fish," continued Louis, pointing in the direction they had just left.

"It went that way,"

In the blink of an eye, the fisherman gathered his belongings and charged, vanishing from view with a speed unseen before.

"That was fast," said Rapidash, intrigued.

In the distance, Taki spotted two, vast, red rock mountains, and a cut, splitting them into a valley.

"Is that where we're going?" asked Taki.

Rapidash nodded.

"Next stop…" it said.

"...Charicific Valley."

* * *

**Thanks for reading. Is there something you enjoyed? Can you guess what happens next? Or...what do you hope to see in future chapters? If so, go ahead and leave a review explaining any of these reasons. (Please don't leave hurtful reviews)**

**If you enjoy this story and don't want to miss out on future chapters, go ahead and follow/favourite this story so you will be notified when a new chapter is released. Heck, feel free to share this story with your friends.**

**Thanks again. See you next time**


	7. Chapter 7 - Fearsome as Fire

The valley grew larger as the group approached the rocky area. A monolithic stone carving of a Charizard's head overlooked a long, blue stream. The water's ebb and flow lapping at the rocks lining it. Louis couldn't help but feel that he had heard of this place somehow.

"Charicific Valley?" he said.

"Isn't that the place where a hoard of Charizards go to train?"

"So I've heard, yes," answered Taki.

When the group got closer to the valley, Rapidash slid to an abrupt stop, producing a large dust cloud, startling the trio.

"It's time to get off," said Rapidash. "...I won't go any further."

Louis looked at Rapidash in bewilderment.

"Why not?" he asked.

"Some groups of Charizard are hostile here," explained Rapidash.

"Besides, no Rapidash has ever set foot in Charicific Valley. I'm not going to be the first," it finished.

Louis understood why Rapidash didn't want to enter the valley. He also recalled how Chief Tanaka said that it would only take them to the first location of a crystal shard. Taki, Totodile, and Louis dismounted from Rapidash, thanked it for bringing them to the valley and watched as it turned, and went back the way it had come.

Then they realised that without Rapidash, they would have to continue their journey on foot. Louis groaned at the thought of it.

Suddenly, from afar, Taki heard a loud roar. To Louis and Totodile, instead of a roar, they both heard a voice shout...

"Get out of our home!"

This caused Louis to start trembling in fear, thinking that they were invading the area. He began to take small steps backwards.

"We...we should probably move," stuttered Louis.

Taki turned her attention to Louis, unsure of why he was so worried.

"Why?" she asked.

On cue, they saw a large Pokémon fly up into the sky. It was none other than a Charizard. Louis pointed towards it in fear.

"Because of that!" he cried.

Without warning, the Charizard proceeded to dive towards the group. Thinking that it was going to attack them, Louis took large strides backwards as the Charizard got closer. Soon, the boy was running away from the Pokémon. Louis dropped down to the ground as the Charizard swooped him.

"AAHH!" he screamed.

A tremendous gust of wind from the swooping Charizard forced the boy further into the ground. Both Taki and Totodile ran over and helped Louis back onto his feet.

"Get up!" said Taki. "It's coming back!"

Sure enough, it did. The ferocious Pokémon banked in the air and descended with a thunderous beating of wings to the rocky shale ground below. It stood in an intimidating stance.

"Today's the day I finally end Team Rocket!" it bellowed.

Louis was scared out of his wits, and he shivered in his shoes. Flames began to build up in the Charizard's mouth while Taki and Totodile prepared for battle, in case it attacked.

"No, wait! Stop!" pleaded Louis.

"We're not here to cause any trouble!"

For a brief moment, the Charizard appeared to hold off on its attack. Unfortunately, it didn't last long.

"That's something a member of Team Rocket would say!" exclaimed Charizard

Almost immediately, the Pokémon built up the ferocious flames in its mouth again. Louis put both hands in front of him in an attempt to stop the ferocious beast.

"No! I'm serious!" he said. "We're just...explorers. See?"

Unfortunately, the Charizard was still unimpressed. It clearly didn't believe Louis' claims. The boy realised this and sighed in annoyance.

"Alright, I'll prove we're not members of Team Rocket," he said.

Taki looked at Totodile with curiosity.

"Team Rocket?" she whispered.

Totodile nodded. They both looked to Louis as he approached the Charizard.

" ...can any member of Team Rocket talk to Pokémon?" he questioned.

The Charizard, surprisingly, became a little intrigued

"...no?" it said.

"Good," replied Louis.

"That makes things a little easier now," he continued.

At that moment, the Charizard's eyes began to widen in stunned silence.

"You mean you know what I'm saying right now?" it asked.

"I do," answered Louis.

He then pointed to Taki.

"But unfortunately, she's not able to," he continued.

"...not yet, at least."

Then, a wave of familiarity and realisation flowed through the Charizard.

"You're a Ho-Oh-Kai, aren't you?" it questioned.

Louis looked at the Pokémon with a confused expression.

"A what?" he questioned.

"What did it say?" inquired Taki.

Louis turned to Taki with a curious expression.

"It asked me if I was a...Ho-Oh-Kai," he answered.

Almost immediately, Taki's eyes widened in shock.

"...I haven't heard that name in a long time," she recalled.

– "What do you mean?"

"That was the old name of our tribe," replied Taki.

Now it was Louis' turn to widen his eyes at the new information.

"It is?!" he inquired.

Taki nodded in reply. Louis became flabbergasted at the reveal.

"Well...what is it called now?" he questioned.

– "Ho-Ken."

An idea came to the Charizard's mind. It grinned, leaned into the group and said...

"If you are Ho-Oh-Kai..." it started,

"...we need you."

* * *

**Thanks for reading. Is there something you enjoyed? Can you guess what happens next? Or...what do you hope to see in future chapters? If so, go ahead and leave a review explaining any of these reasons. (Please don't leave hurtful reviews)**

**If you enjoy this story and don't want to miss out on future chapters, go ahead and follow/favourite this story so you will be notified when a new chapter is released. Heck, feel free to share this story with your friends.**

**Thanks again. See you next time**


	8. Chapter 8 - Seven Flames

The Charizard took to the sky with the trio on its back. Below them, the valley shrunk as they reached an incredible height.

The descent began almost immediately as the Pokémon spotted the mischievous members of Team Rocket in the distance, flying a grey, red-striped helicopter with a large net attached to the bottom of the vehicle.

The Team Rocket members had already captured many Charizards and placed them in the net. They struggled within an angry, writhing mass. Taki squinted her eyes and saw there was also a girl with green hair in it as well.

"There's a kid in that net!" yelled Taki.

"What?!" shrieked Louis.

Louis struggled and pulled out a pair of binoculars from his backpack. Much to his shock, he spotted the girl trapped by the net as well.

'You have got to be kidding me,' he thought.

"They've been trying to take us away from here for a long time," said Charizard, angrily.

"It ends today!" it roared.

With incredible speed, the Charizard flew over to the helicopter. It started to build up flames inside of its mouth, preparing to stop the helicopter from getting away.

"Don't burn the kid!" squeaked Taki.

From her point of view, the Charizard growled at her. Louis tapped Taki on her shoulder to get her attention.

"It said 'It's okay, I won't'," he said.

Inside the helicopter, an unexpected radar blip appeared before the pilot.

"We're being followed!" exclaimed the co-pilot.

"Not for long," sneered the pilot.

Suddenly, the helicopter lurched with whirling chopper blades at the group. Rotor whop began to brush Taki's face just as the Charizard took evasive action, swooping below the chopper's tail and back up the other side, narrowly avoiding the spinning blades.

"Are you out of your mind?!" yelled Taki at the pilot.

The Charizard growled in rage.

"Now they've done it!" it said.

At that moment, the Charizard launched a large fireball at the helicopter's tail rotor, fusing wire to metal and melting vital components.

A loud explosion from the tail section sent more components falling to the earth, followed soon by the rest of the helicopter, now spinning uncontrollably.

"We're going down!" yelled the pilot in a panic, his world spinning three-hundred and sixty degrees as their vehicle spun and fell.

Louis looked down at the girl and the hoard of Charizard in the net.

"BRACE YOURSELVES!" he bellowed.

The net's occupants huddled together.

The ground rapidly approached as the helicopter fell. The net landed first, followed by the careening hunk of metal.

A beating of Charizard's wings heralded the group's arrival. The trio dismounted from the large Pokémon and spotted the two occupants of the helicopter's cockpit emerging from the vehicle. They looked quite dizzy from the group's point of view. The Charizard shifted its attention to the trio and spoke.

"Keep them distracted," it said.

With that, Taki, Totodile, and Louis approached the two members of Team Rocket.

"Hey!" called Louis.

The two members took off their helmets, revealing that it was the golden-haired girl and green-haired boy from the day before.

"Oh wait, it's just those two from the forest," grumbled Taki.

"Oh yeah, I remember them," responded Louis gruffly as he approached.

"Cassidy...and Butch, was it?"

"It's Butch, you-..." paused Butch, holding his head in dizziness.

"...oh, that's what you said," he finished.

Louis had an idea on how to keep them distracted.

"I have one question for you," he started.

"You call yourselves Team Rocket. There's two of you. Where's the rocket?"

Both Cassidy and Butch blinked in confusion.

"What?" they said.

Unknown to the Team Rocket members, the Charizard approached the net joint, previously out of reach of the net's occupants, and ripped apart the metal clasp that fastened the net.

The rope-like prison sprung open, and from it, emerged the girl with green hair, wearing a red two-piece, followed by seven, VERY unhappy, Charizards.

"Was that enough time?" called Louis, glancing behind him.

He saw the seven, angry Charizards, with the girl riding on one of them. Flames billowing from each of their mouths.

Louis grinned and stepped out of the way, bringing Taki and Totodile along with him. Cassidy and Butch looked on in horror.

"Oh no," whimpered Cassidy.

As one, the Charizards exhaled a vast cloud of flames, engulfing the helicopter. Moments later, it detonated. The force of the blast, knocking Louis, Taki, and Totodile onto their backs, obscured their view.

As the flash died down, Taki glanced around, searching for Team Rocket.

"Hey, where'd they go?" questioned Louis.

A quick movement skyward caught Taki's attention. She gazed up and saw the two members of Team Rocket hurtling through a cloud.

"Up there!" exclaimed Taki.

Louis looked up and saw the two figures in the sky.

"Oh, there's your rocket!" he shouted, mockingly.

This earned Louis a smack on the back of his head from Taki.

"Ow," he said.

"How far are they going?" asked Totodile.

Behind them, the Charizard's growling began to ease.

"Hopefully as far as possible," it said.

* * *

**"Aaaand boom goes the dynamite!"**

**Thanks for reading. Is there something you enjoyed? Can you guess what happens next? Or...what do you hope to see in future chapters? If so, go ahead and leave a review explaining any of these reasons. (Please don't leave hurtful reviews)**

**If you enjoy this story and don't want to miss out on future chapters, go ahead and follow/favourite this story so you will be notified when a new chapter is released. Heck, feel free to share this story with your friends.**

**Thanks again. See you next time**


	9. Chapter 9 - A Relic Reformed

Peace returned to Charicific Valley, as the group began to compose themselves and relax. Bird-song returned to their ears. Worn out and panting, the trio sat down as exhaustion set in. The exertion of the morning caught up to them.

"That was wild," said Louis, exhausted.

"How can Pokémon trainers do this all the time?" he questioned.

As they were catching their breath, Totodile noticed a large, pink bow lying on the ground beside it. A sense of playfulness flowed through its body and placed the bow on top of its head. Taki and Louis watched as the Pokémon pirouetted on the spot with the newfound accessory. Taki giggled, while Louis chuckled.

The green-haired girl walked over to the trio, with her Charizard following from behind.

"Looks like it's enjoying itself," she said.

The duo spotted the girl and her Charizard approaching.

"Oh, hey," said Louis.

He then pointed to the pink bow on Totodile's head.

"Is that yours?" he asked.

"It was," answered the girl, smiling.

"But I'd hate to take it off of her. Besides, I've got a spare."

Both Taki and Louis glanced at the girl in confusion.

"Her?" they said.

They looked back to Totodile as it was still pirouetting. It stopped and looked at the pair.

"You didn't know that?" the little Pokémon questioned.

Totodile then ran over to the green-haired girl and hugged her leg. The girl smiled as she placed her spare pink bow on her Charizard's head. It nodded in gratitude. Totodile ran back over to the group, who had shocked expressions on their faces.

"You're a girl?!" they exclaimed in unison.

Totodile nodded in reply, blushing a little bit. The green-haired girl walked closer to the trio.

"Anyway, what are you all doing here in the valley?" she asked.

Louis brushed the dust off of his clothes and stood up.

"We've come looking for a crystal shard," he answered.

Louis reached into his pocket and pulled out the purple shard that he and Taki found the night before.

"Something similar to this," continued Louis.

Immediately after he said that, the purple shard started to glow, startling the gang.

"Hey, it's glowing again," pointed out Taki.

The girl's Charizard looked at the beaming shard with curiosity.

"It's like that thing we see glowing at night," it said.

Louis looked at the girl's Charizard.

"Glowing at night?" he questioned.

– "Yes. It's well hidden and it'd be easier to see it when the sun goes down," the Charizard responded.

"Hmm, I see," replied Louis.

The green-haired girl looked at Louis in bewilderment.

"You can understand Charla?" she questioned.

Louis looked to the girl and nodded. She was quite surprised, to say the least.

'Charla?' thought Taki.

The group then decided to set up camp and await dusk. Taki produced a small cooking kit and some basic provisions, while Totodile and Charla frollocked in newfound friendship. Louis and the green-haired girl looked at the two Pokémon from afar and smiled.

"There's a sight I never thought I'd see," said Louis.

"A fire type and a water type hanging out."

Soon after, Taki had finished the meal preparations and she produced five plates of steamed rice. She gave two of them to Louis and the green-haired girl and another two plates to Totodile and Charla.

"Oh, one for Charla too?" replied the girl, in surprise.

"You're amazing!" she exclaimed.

Taki blushed.

They all sat in a circle and ate the plates of rice. After the green-haired girl placed a mouthful of rice into her mouth, she looked over to Louis and Taki.

"Excuse me, but I never got your names," she said with her mouth full.

Louis swallowed a mouthful of rice and looked to the girl.

"I'm Louis," he answered.

"And I'm Taki," added Taki.

"Yours?" he inquired.

"It's Liza," answered the girl.

"My name is Liza."

Soon, night began to fall, the first of the evening's stars twinkling in the dusk. Moments later, a red glow drew Charla's attention.

"There it is!" it said.

Charla pointed skyward, in the direction of the huge monolithic statue towering over the valley. They spotted a glow emanating from the hollow eye socket on the stone carving.

"Up there?!" exclaimed Louis.

"How am I supposed to get that crystal shard from all the way up there?"

One of the other Charizards appeared beside Louis.

"Do you have to ask?" it questioned, beating its wings.

Louis facepalmed.

"Ugh, I'm an idiot," he groaned.

"Get on," said the Charizard.

Soon, the pair were hundreds of feet up in the air. They arrived at the glowing hollow. Louis carefully traversed the gap between the Charizard and the statue, reminding himself not to look down. The group far below merely dots now.

The red glow grew brighter as Louis carefully reached out to the embedded shard. A mysterious tugging at his jacket pocket startled the boy. He then noticed the embedded shard shaking in its place.

"What the?" he muttered.

Suddenly, the shard in his pocket leapt from his shirt as the embedded shard freed itself, shooting from the wall and meeting Louis' crystal midair.

A blinding flash of light encompassed Louis and sent a beam from the eye socket across the land. Startled and blinded, Louis staggered backwards. His final footstep found no purchase. Terror crossed Louis' face as he realised he was now falling, rapidly, toward the distant ground.

The group below stared up in horror.

"LOOUUUIIISSSSS!" screamed Taki.

* * *

**Thanks for reading. Is there something you enjoyed? Can you guess what happens next? Or...what do you hope to see in future chapters? If so, go ahead and leave a review explaining any of these reasons. (Please don't leave hurtful reviews)**

**If you enjoy this story and don't want to miss out on future chapters, go ahead and follow/favourite this story so you will be notified when a new chapter is released. Heck, feel free to share this story with your friends.**

**Thanks again. See you next time**


	10. Chapter 10 - New Friends, Old Problems

Charla's eyes widened, heightened senses alerting her to act as the boy fell to the earth below. Louis continued to plummet, now midway through his descent. Taki took cover as Charla launched herself into the air, heading for Louis, arms outstretched.

Louis' vertical descent quickly switched to a horizontal flight as Charla smashed into him, wrapping the boy against her chest. She flipped her wings and began a spiral glide towards safety.

Even as they landed, Louis continued to scream, unaware of his rescue. Taki, Totodile and Liza ran over to Charla and Louis. Charla looked at the boy, confused.

"Hey!" called Taki.

"You're on the ground," added Totodile.

Louis opened his eyes and stopped screaming.

"...I'm alive?" he questioned.

"Of course you are," replied Charla.

Louis, visibly shaken, took deep breaths to settle himself.

"What was that bright light?" asked Taki.

Before Louis could answer, he noticed that his right hand was clenched shut. He slowly opened it up, and discovered that the two crystal shards had fused together.

"Whoa," said Louis. "They combined!"

Liza looked at the now conjoined pieces of crystal.

"That's what you were looking for?" she asked. "You nearly died for that."

A sudden realisation paled Liza's face.

"If it's this important to you, it might be just as important to someone else," she continued. "You need to keep moving."

A sense of urgency flowed through Louis, Taki and Totodile.

"That's right!" said Taki.

"The chief said that someone was trying to end the tribe. So, if we're not quick enough, it's all over."

Louis realised the amount of danger that was present in their situation.

Soon, the group was about to leave the valley. They waved to Liza and Charla as they got further away.

"Good luck you three…" called Liza.

"...and thank you!"

"You're welcome!" replied Louis.

Darkness began to surround the trio as they trudged onward into the night. Behind them, the valley began to fade away and so did Totodile.

"Totodile?" said Taki, glancing over her shoulder.

The small Pokémon's eyes were shut tight as it staggered forward, stumbling. Taki walked over and picked it up.

"She's exhausted," said Taki.

Louis suddenly felt his fatigue begin to take over, growing weary.

"You know what? So am I," he yawned.

Soon, the camp was set up and Taki again prepped some plates of steamed rice.

"Sorry. I don't know how to cook anything else," she said, handing him a serving.

"That's ok," replied Louis.

"Maybe next time, I can help make some curry," he offered.

They ate in silence, each savouring every mouthful of food. Eventually, Taki spoke.

"You really like curry, don't you?"

"Of course I do," answered Louis, grinning. "It's my favourite."

Totodile stirred on Taki's foot, using her shoe as a pillow. Taki smiled, as the pair finished their meal. Soon, Louis laid in his sleeping bag as thoughts of the day began to wash over him.

**_The tribe…_**

**_The valley…_**

**_The crystal…_**

**_...FALLING!_**

Louis jolted up and shook his head to clear the thoughts. Eventually, his weariness took hold of him and he fell, again, into a restless slumber.

* * *

**Thanks for reading. Is there something you enjoyed? Can you guess what happens next? Or...what do you hope to see in future chapters? If so, go ahead and leave a review explaining any of these reasons. (Please don't leave hurtful reviews)**

**If you enjoy this story and don't want to miss out on future chapters, go ahead and follow/favourite this story so you will be notified when a new chapter is released. Heck, feel free to share this story with your friends.**

**Thanks again. See you next time**


	11. Chapter 11 - A Spark of Interest

**To WyldClaw: Glad to see that you're quite interested in this story.**

**From: Toadly1998**

* * *

The chirping of birds signalled the morning's arrival. Yet, hidden within the song, an unhappy note met Louis' ears. He sat up in his sleeping bag, rubbed his eyes, unsure if what he was hearing was a dream-remnant or real.

"Huh? What's that noise?" he muttered.

"Good, you're up," said Taki.

Louis shifted his head to his left and saw Taki and Totodile already awake.

"Do you hear that?" asked Totodile.

"Wh-...what is it?" questioned Louis, still tired.

"I'm not sure," answered Taki.

"Let's pack up camp. We're heading that way," she continued, staring at the direction of the noise.

Within minutes, the trio trotted towards the source of the crying. A rustling in the bushes alerted Totodile, who stopped and pointed ahead.

"To-to-dile," it said.

"Totodile said 'It's coming from over there'," added Louis.

All three proceeded with caution, taking small steps towards the rustling bush. Taki gently reached over and pulled back the branches to show a small, yellow Pokémon sobbing. Taki could tell that this Pokémon was none other than...

"...a Pichu," she said.

"Pichu Pi...chu," sobbed the Pichu, mournfully.

Totodile gazed at the Pichu with a mixture of sympathy and concern.

"Toto Toto," it said.

"She says it may have been abandoned," translated Louis.

Taki lowered herself to the ground, placing a knee on the forest floor and held out an open hand. Still unsure, the sudden movement startled the little Pokémon. It turned on the spot and dashed to another bush, concealing itself from the trio.

"It's awfully scared," offered Taki.

"Seems quite shy as well," replied Louis as he knelt down beside Taki.

They began to think of how to get the Pichu to come out of the bushes without scaring it again.

" ...I've got an idea," said Louis.

He slowly edged closer to the bush containing the scared Pokémon.

"Um...my name is Louis," introduced Louis.

At that moment, the Pichu slowly re-emerged from the bushes, peeking an eye through the foliage. Louis turned to Taki and signalled her to tell the Pichu her name.

"And...my name is Taki," she said.

Hearing the compassion in Taki's voice, the Pichu took a guarded step forward from its hiding spot.

"Uh...h-hi," it stammered.

Louis' eyes shifted sympathetically.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"...are you hurt?"

"No, I'm... lost," responded Pichu.

"Lost?" blurted Louis.

"Lost?!" said Taki, beginning to pick up on the situation.

Pichu's eyes widened and its mouth dropped open in amazement.

"I've...I've never spoken to a human before," it said.

"How can you do that?"

"That's not important right now," replied Louis.

"Do you remember where you were last?" he continued.

"I was here," explained Pichu. "But then, I got separated from my brother, Raichu. All because of those ghost Pokémon!"

Louis grew curious at the little Pokémon's story. He whispered in Taki's ear the situation Pichu had just explained. Then, Louis looked back to Pichu.

"Was it...a Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar?" he inquired.

"Y-...yes," answered Pichu.

"And that Gengar is the worst!" it added.

As soon as Pichu confirmed his suspicions, Louis' facial expression changed into a look filled with annoyance.

"Oh, come on!" he groaned.

"How long ago did this happen?" asked Totodile.

"Last night, over there somewhere," replied Pichu, pointing.

"But I was so scared, I just ran."

An idea on how to solve these two issues simultaneously formed in Louis' mind.

"So, if we find those three Pokémon, we'll most likely find your brother," he said.

Soon after, the group began to search the forest for the Raichu and the three ghost Pokémon. An hour passed and with no sign of any of the mentioned Pokémon, Totodile turned to Pichu.

"Are you sure it was here?" it asked.

Immediately after saying that, the group overheard a commotion from a glade just beyond their location.

"What's that?" questioned Taki.

Louis paid close attention to the racket. With stealth, all four crept upon the noise. Peering around a nearby tree, Louis made out four figures. One was a Raichu sitting with it's back to a tall oak surrounded by three taunting spirits.

Pichu tugged at Louis' socks.

"My brother!" it said.

A devilish fire of mischievous energy ignited in Louis. He knelt down to the small Pokémon with a mischievous grin.

"I've got a plan," he said.

He whispered in Pichu's ear. It giggled at the plan.

"What are you two planning?" inquired Taki.

Louis turned his head to Taki, still grinning. This worried Taki more than the ghosts.

"You'll see," replied Louis.

The boy took off his backpack and the Pichu hopped in. He then looked to Taki and Totodile.

"Stay low and quiet," said Louis.

Taki and Totodile nodded. Crawling, Louis approached the ghostly trio. Beyond the spirits, the Raichu spotted the advancing Louis, to which the boy placed a single finger on his lips in a hushing gesture. The Pichu stirred in the boy's backpack.

Advancing stealthily like an Ekans in the grass, Louis suddenly placed his feet and sprung to full stance in front of the spirits.

"SURPRISE!" he shouted.

The Gastly and Haunter shot a foot in the air, while Gengar tripped and fell on its purple backside.

"GHOST KID!" shrieked Gastly.

"HE'S BACK!" squeaked Haunter.

"That's right!" responded Louis.

Pichu peered out of the backpack and met Raichu's gaze. A smile gently formed on Raichu as it started to chuckle.

Louis outstretched his left arm, pointing to the three ghost Pokémon. They looked on in fear, not understanding what was about to happen.

"Eat Thunderbolt!" bellowed Louis.

At that moment, Pichu, still inside the backpack, generated a tremendous amount of electricity. A crackle of lightning emerged from the backpack, and arced through the air, loudly, as it collided with the troublemakers. The force delivered was enough to shock the ghostly trio unconscious. A visage of pain met Louis' face as he realised that he was being electrocuted too. His muscles tensed to maximum capacity and fell face-first into the dry forest floor, leg twitching.

"Probably should've thought that through," groaned Louis.

Raichu's chuckle turned into full-blown laughter as Pichu emerged from the backpack.

"Nice one, bro," complimented Raichu.

Taki and Totodile approached the fallen boy, concerned that he may not get up. Totodile clamped its sharp teeth down on Louis' arm, the pain jolted the boy up from the ground.

"OW!" yelled Louis as he leapt to his feet.

The Totodile bit down harder.

"Hey, I'm awake!" growled Louis. "Stop biting me!"

"Make me!" chewed Totodile, mouth full of arm.

Instinctively, Louis reached for Totodile's new head bow and threw it away. Instantly, Totodile released its bite on Louis' arm and dashed to the head accessory. Louis rubbed his arm.

"That actually hurt," groaned Louis.

"It worked, didn't it?" questioned Taki.

This was met with a scowl from Louis.

The two turned to see the Pichu and Raichu embracing. After the hug, Raichu approached Louis and Taki.

"Hey, thanks for finding my little bro," thanked Raichu.

"Heh, don't mention it," replied Louis, scratching the back of his head.

"It's got a heck of a shock," he continued, his leg still twitching.

"Pi-chu" responded Pichu.

Then, the Gengar started groaning, alerting the group. Louis looked to Pichu and Raichu.

"You two better get going. These three will wake up soon."

Raichu looked at the three Ghost Pokémon, and started to grin.

"Actually, you three should get going," it said.

"Huh?" responded Louis.

"I'm not done with these three yet," added Raichu.

Louis dusted himself off and the group prepared to leave.

"Thanks again for everything," said Raichu.

"No problem," replied Louis, intrigued.

Soon, the trio of Louis, Taki, and Totodile reached the edge of the forest. Taki was the first to notice that the hairs on her arms were standing up. She looked at Louis and saw that his hair stood on end, too.

"Do you feel tha-"

An enormous electrical discharge crackled through the forest behind them, accompanied by a loud thunderclap. Flocks of bird Pokémon scattered from the trees nearby.

"Wh-...what just happened?" asked Totodile.

"I don't think we want to know," replied Louis.

* * *

**Thanks for reading. Is there something you enjoyed? Can you guess what happens next? Or...what do you hope to see in future chapters? If so, go ahead and leave a review explaining any of these reasons. (Please don't leave hurtful reviews)**

**If you enjoy this story and don't want to miss out on future chapters, go ahead and follow/favourite this story so you will be notified when a new chapter is released. Heck, feel free to share this story with your friends.**

**Thanks again. See you next time**


	12. Chapter 12 - The Breeze and the Laughter

The group walked for an hour, happy to be out of the forest. Wide fields emerged to them and the sun felt good on Totodile as it happily skipped ahead. Taki brushed the tall grass as she walked. Louis took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh, warm air around him, calming his spirit.

A thought crept upon Taki's mind.

"Hey, Louis," she said.

"Mm-hmm?" replied Louis.

"You know how you handled that situation back there?" questioned Taki.

– "...yeah?"

"Honestly, it made you look like a Pokémon trainer," pointed out Taki.

It was then that Louis started to chuckle.

"Taki…" he started. "...I've told you before. I'm not interested in being a trainer."

"If that's true, why are you out on these adventures?" asked Taki.

"...besides the crystal," she added.

Memories of Flash Town flooded Louis' train of thought. He leaned in closer to Taki's right ear.

"My hometown is soooo boring," he whispered. "The only exciting thing that happens there is when the trees change colour."

Taki giggled. Then, from afar, Totodile spotted Taki laughing.

"To-to-dile?" it said.

"Totodile asked 'What's so funny?'," translated Louis.

"Oh, nothing," said Taki.

"Louis just said he likes your bow."

Totodile blushed and continued in its joyful skipping, as she too, embraced the new-found peace.

* * *

**"Just a short chapter this time."**

**Thanks for reading. Is there something you enjoyed? Can you guess what happens next? Or...what do you hope to see in future chapters? If so, go ahead and leave a review explaining any of these reasons. (Please don't leave hurtful reviews)**

**If you enjoy this story and don't want to miss out on future chapters, go ahead and follow/favourite this story so you will be notified when a new chapter is released. Heck, feel free to share this story with your friends.**

**Thanks again. See you next time**


	13. Chapter 13 - Cheerful Festivities

**To WyldClaw: You might be onto something...but what? You'll have to figure it out.**

* * *

On the horizon, small structures began to form as the trio approached. A bustling village filled with strangely costumed people and Pokémon danced and paraded down the central street.

Taki heard the sounds of merriment first.

"Do you hear that singing?" she asked.

"No, but can you smell that food?" added Louis.

The pieces were starting to come together as Totodile, Taki, and Louis worked out what was going on.

"Singing? Food?" pondered Totodile.

"A festival!" All three exclaimed in unison.

Momentarily, they arrived at the village gate, where they met a surprisingly happy guard. Flowery decorations adorned their weaponry.

'ASAGAO VILLAGE' a sign read from above.

As the trio approached the gate, one of the guards spoke.

"Here for the festival?" he inquired.

The group stopped and shifted their attention to the tall guard.

"Um, we don't know what this festival is about," said Taki.

The guard chuckled.

"Many years ago.." he began,

"..our village suffered a horrendous drought. We were mere days from abandoning this place, and then, something happened."

Taki's expression changed to intrigue.

"What?" she questioned.

"During the night, we heard a tremendous yell from the middle of the village, and armed, we rushed to the central plaza…"

– "Go on..." motioned Louis, sensing the guard quite enjoyed recalling this story.

"...where we saw a Celebi standing amidst a flourishing fruit tree… one that had dried up three months prior."

"The Pokémon revived the tree?" questioned Louis.

"Indeed. But, it didn't stop there. It then flew the border of the village, and where it passed, life began to follow. By the morning, we had a green town again."

"Toto-dile!" cheered Totodile.

"Hehe, I guess Totodile likes the story," said Taki.

"However," continued the guard. "This took its toll on the little Pokémon."

Almost immediately, Taki's face dropped in sadness.

"It didn't die, did it?" asked Louis.

"Fortunately, no..." answered the guard.

"...but it was very weak. We carried it back to its forest and placed it in a lake to recover. After it healed, the little one flew away."

"How long ago was that?" inquired Taki.

"Almost thirty-four years to the day," replied the guard.

"Thirty-four years?!" exclaimed Louis.

That's incredible!" praised Taki.

Another group of travellers approached the village gates, drawing the guard's attention.

"Ah, more festival-goers," he said.

The guard returned its attention to the trio.

"Enjoy the day!" he called.

With smiles on their faces, the group stepped through the gates. They could see paper lanterns hanging from above and numerous shops draped with floral and fruit displays. In the distance, as the crowd ebbed and flowed, they could make out a granite statue of Celebi.

"That's Celebi?" asked Louis.

"Aww, it's so cute," said Taki.

It was then that a familiar scent invaded Louis' senses. He immediately recognised the aroma as his eyes twinkled at the thought of it.

"Curry," he muttered.

Louis dashed towards the source faster than a Jolteon. Taki and Totodile followed to discover a vast curry emporium. Numerous tasty dishes lined the counters as a Mr Mime used its psychic abilities to add herbs and spices to each dish lining the counters.

"Diet...limit...off!" exclaimed Louis.

In the blink of an eye, Louis took his seat in front of the counter, grabbing onto a fork and spoon. Taki and Totodile approached the boy from behind.

"You do realise that there are other places to eat, right?" asked Taki.

"I know, but it's curry!" responded Louis. "How can I say no to this?"

From the other side, the chef took a slight glance at Louis and immediately saw the excited facial expression depicted on his face.

"Looks like someone's enthused," he said.

"Mime Mime," replied Mr Mime.

Taki, Totodile, and Louis inspected all the plates of curry on display. Then, one particular plate drew Louis' attention. This dish consisted of bright orange, rich vegetable curry with hot, steaming rice beside it.

A price on display next to the particular plate read;

'Three-hundred and seventy-five.'

While still gazing at the food, Louis slapped four-hundred Pokédollars onto the counter. He scooped a mountain of food onto his spoon and slammed it into his mouth.

Taki looked at the boy with a bewildered expression. She turned to Totodile, who just shrugged.

A look of sheer bliss displayed on Louis' facial features, with his eyes twinkling.

"Wow!" he said. "This is just like how my Mom makes-"

He stopped. Then, sheer white-hot panic invaded Louis' mind.

"AAHHH!" yelped Louis.

This outburst startled everyone around the area. One bystander accidentally dropped his plate of food, splattering onto the ground below.

"Aww, I've been waiting all day for that," groaned the bystander.

The chef and Mr. Mime walked over to the trio.

"Are you alright?" questioned the chef. "Is something wrong with the food?"

"N-...no!" replied Louis.

"I gotta contact my Mom! I just realised I haven't told her where I am!"

"You haven't?" asked Taki.

"No," answered Louis.

"I said that I'd be home before bedtime, but then...this happened."

"...what day was that?" inquired Taki, slightly worried.

– "...yesterday."

"Uh oh…" muttered Totodile.

"There is a Pidgeotto mail-service in town," said the chef. "You could always use that."

"Where would we find it?" asked Taki.

Mr. Mime snapped its fingers and pointed towards a small shop front near the statue.

"Over there?" questioned Louis.

He rose to his feet and turned to leave. However, he dashed back over to his seat and quickly finished his plate of curry.

"Thanks," he said with a mouthful of food.

The trio pumped their legs, sprinting to the shop front. The small building looked like a house that was converted into a postal service. All three walked through the door as a bell announced their arrival. Inside, numerous brightly coloured perches adorned the walls, each one supporting a Pidgeotto.

The trio walked over to a nearby desk, grabbed a sheet of paper and Louis began to write. When finished, the letter read;

_'Dear Mom,_

_Hi, It's Louis. I must apologise for not returning home last night, but I think I'm involved in something quite big at the moment._

_You see, I've been tasked with reforming a certain crystal. I can't say much more right now, but I'm safe and thinking about you and Dad._

_At this stage, I don't know when I will be able to return. Don't worry, I'm with friends._

_Love you lots,_

_— Louis. x'_

He folded the sheet of paper in half, slid it into an envelope and approached the counter. Louis looked at the price list and realised that sending one letter would cost seventy-five Pokédollars. Louis reached into his pocket and noticed that, unfortunately, he only had twenty-five Pokédollars.

"Ugh, me and my stomach," grumbled Louis.

Hey kid," called the shopkeeper.

Louis looked to the counter and saw the shopkeeper pointing to a sign near her.

'All deliveries are free during festivals...thank you, Celebi.' it read.

A wave of relief washed over Louis. He quickly wrote down his home address on the letter and placed it on the counter. Moments later, it was in the clutches of a brown and cream-coloured Pidgeotto. It stretched its wings, chirped twice and flew out a window, skyward.

"Good luck!" called Totodile.

* * *

**"Phew. That was close."**

**Thanks for reading. Is there something you enjoyed? Can you guess what happens next? Or...what do you hope to see in future chapters? If so, go ahead and leave a review explaining any of these reasons. (Please don't leave hurtful reviews)**

**If you enjoy this story and don't want to miss out on future chapters, go ahead and follow/favourite this story so you will be notified when a new chapter is released. Heck, feel free to share this story with your friends.**

**Thanks again. See you next time**


	14. Chapter 14 - A Rescue Tail

Afterwards, the trio exited the premises. Taki then suggested that all three of them go and visit the Celebi statue. Around it, numerous villagers and festival-goers gathered. Some placed floral wreaths while others simply offered thanks. A sense of peace filled the air and washed over the trio.

"It's so nice here," said Louis. "I could stay here for a few days."

"But…" interjected Totodile. "...we're still on an important mission."

"Yeah, you're right," replied Louis.

Suddenly, rapid, deep drumming percussed its way through the streets, breaking the silence. The crowd around the statue turned to meet the musicians, several of which began to pass the group.

The inspiring rhythm fortified the trio's resolve.

"Let's get going," said Taki.

Before leaving, an oddity within the musicians drew Louis' attention. They were playing taiko drums, and Louis realised that one of the musicians was...a Machamp. It was using all four of its arms in order to play the instrument. A look of awe spread around Louis' face.

"Whoa," he whispered, freezing in place, staring.

"Come on, we gotta go," said Taki.

Soon, the village shrunk into the distance. The trio passed through more plains and long grass. The occasional tree dotted the landscape, and Louis took one last look at the village.

'Asagao Village, I'll come back one day,' he thought.

After about an hour, Totodile began to slow down, its steps getting smaller and smaller. Taki and Louis shifted their heads to the little Pokémon.

"Do you need a break, Totodile?" offered Louis.

"Please," responded Totodile, nodding rapidly.

The group sat on some tall, soft grass and stretched their legs. Louis took off one of his shoes and rubbed his foot, easing a knot out of his muscle. Taki made an inventory check of their supplies.

"Two days of rice left," she said.

Some out of place, harsh voices floated along the wind and met the trio's ears, shattering the idyllic peace.

"Oh great, what now?" groaned Totodile.

Louis put his shoe back on and stood. The voices arguing continued, while getting closer.

"I'll check it out," said Louis. "You two wait here."

"Louis, we're not separating," replied Taki, who then rose to her feet and picked up Totodile.

"We're coming with you," she continued.

Totodile started to doze off in Taki's arms. Approaching footsteps, now audible, grew louder. Quickly, the party hid beneath the tall grass. Long golden hair shone through the grass into their view.

"Give me a hand with this Magikarp, Bill!" A familiar voice ordered.

"For the last time, it's BUTCH!" another voice shouted.

A dawn of realisation flowed through Taki and Louis.

'*sigh* Team Rocket?' thought Louis.

"Do we really have to go through this again?" whispered Taki.

Louis peered out of the long grass and saw that the girl named Cassidy was carrying a Magikarp, which was flopping and flailing in her arms. Louis grew annoyed with Team Rocket and their schemes, so much so that inside...he was furiously bubbling.

As soon as Team Rocket were close enough, Louis sprung out of the tall grass.

"What the hell are you doing with that Pokémon?!" he growled.

In a panic, Cassidy dropped the Magikarp.

"Hey! What's the big idea?!" she exclaimed.

As she said that, Louis started walking towards the flailing fish Pokémon. Taki and Totodile joined Louis by his side.

"Oh no you don't!" bellowed Butch. "That Pokémon is ours now!"

With these words, the small thread of patience within the boy snapped. Louis sprinted towards both Team Rocket members, where he shoved both of them aside, causing the pair to land roughly on the ground.

"Taki!" called Louis, pointing at the Magikarp.

With that, Taki scooped up the Pokémon from the ground and ran towards Louis, with Totodile following suit.

"STAY AWAY FROM US!" shouted Louis.

Taki caught up to Louis, now staring at the fish with worry.

"I don't think it's gonna make it, we're too far away from water," said Louis.

"Not on my watch!" she exclaimed.

* * *

**Thanks for reading. Is there something you enjoyed? Can you guess what happens next? Or...what do you hope to see in future chapters? If so, go ahead and leave a review explaining any of these reasons. (Please don't leave hurtful reviews)**

**If you enjoy this story and don't want to miss out on future chapters, go ahead and follow/favourite this story so you will be notified when a new chapter is released. Heck, feel free to share this story with your friends.**

**Thanks again. See you next time**


	15. Chapter 15 - Flying Fish

Taki stretched her arms and cracked the knuckles in her tired hands. She gripped the fish Pokémon tightly and began to spin with all her might. Soon, the pair became a blur, a spinning kaleidoscope of colours.

Suddenly, Taki released her grip on the Magikarp. The group stared at the now skyrocketing Pokémon, tracing its arc high above a canopy of trees in the distance.

"Taki, what the heck?" said Louis.

The Spearows were having a fantastic day. Gentle winds carried them westward toward their next stop.

Not one of them expected a Magikarp to fly like a soaring jet, bursting through their group, scattering them.

"Aah! What was that?!" a Spearow exclaimed.

"A Magikarp?!" another added.

The fish in question quickly vanished from view. The sharp eyes of a Fearow glanced downward and pinpointed three dots on the ground.

"...did they just throw that at us?" it questioned.

Then, the flock turned and followed the flying Magikarp. Whiskers flailing, the fish Pokémon's journey continued.

"Uh...should we follow that flock?" asked Louis.

Meanwhile, a fisherman sat quietly with a Meowth by his side.

"No bites today," he sighed.

Movement from above caught the Meowth's eyes. It stared up with a confused look on its face. The fisherman noticed the Pokémon's strange expression.

"What's wrong?" he questioned.

"Meowth!" replied Meowth, pointing to the sky.

The individual looked up to see a flying Magikarp being followed by a flock of Spearows. His jaw dropped.

"A flying fish!" exclaimed the fisherman.

An enormous splash erupted from the stream nearby as the Magikarp belly-flopped safely into its watery home. The cloud of birds in pursuit scattered, narrowly avoiding diving in after it.

"Wow! A rare Pokémon!" cried the fisherman.

"I'm gonna catch it!" he continued as he hastily attached a new rig to his line.

Before he could cast, the trio of adventurers caught up with the commotion.

"Wait!" called Taki. Don't catch it!"

...but it was too late.

Hook, line and sinker now flew in the direction of the splash. The Meowth quickly jumped and caught the line near the reel, stopping its trajectory.

The hook fell limp into the riverbank.

The fisherman glanced at the newcomers and realised that they had previously met.

"Hey, it's you three from before," he said.

Louis and Taki turned their heads to the fisherman, recognising him.

"Oh, hello again," replied Taki.

Before the trio reached the edge of the river, Totodile noticed that a pulsing glow emanating from Louis' pocket.

"Your chest is glowing," it said.

Louis clutched the crystal in his pocket. He pulled it out and inspected the artifact.

"The crystal," acknowledged Taki.

An irresistible force began to pull the crystal, still in Louis' clutches, towards the river.

"No no no no no no!" pleaded Louis, as he took a deep breath.

Now waist-deep in the water, the force continued pulling him in. Soon, Louis was fully submerged as the force of the crystal propelled him downward toward its goal.

Louis' fist touched the riverbed and a blinding light exploded under the surface. The riverbank occupants shielded their eyes as bubbles floated to the surface in front of them. Taki thought she could hear Louis' yells popping from the bubbles.

Until, calm returned to the surface, no bubbles nor ripples rose to meet the concerned group.

Louis suddenly emerged from the water with a sputtering sound. He took a deep breath and opened his hand.

A bright-blue shard had now fused with the crystal.

"There was one down there?" questioned Taki.

"That's the third piece!" she exclaimed.

The group's concentration broke as Totodile leapt into the air.

"Cannonball!" it cheered, landing with a playful eruption.

The water from the splash slapped Taki, drenching her.

Louis pointed and laughed, while Taki scowled.

* * *

**Thanks for reading. Is there something you enjoyed? Can you guess what happens next? Or...what do you hope to see in future chapters? If so, go ahead and leave a review explaining any of these reasons. (Please don't leave hurtful reviews)**

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	16. Chapter 16 - A Unique Magikarp

Composure finally settled on the trio, while Totodile continued to splash away in joy. The crystal clear water brought happiness to the little Pokémon. Then, bubbles began to surround Totodile, a wave of uncertainty forcing it back to shore as the group stared at the shifting waters.

More bubbles popped on the surface, and soon the eyes and mouth of a Magikarp peered from the depths toward the group. A tiny scar lined its left gill.

"Thanks," it said. "I thought I was a goner."

"...so did I," replied Louis.

"Taki, where'd you learn to throw like that?" he questioned.

"Before I was a trainer, I was into Athletics," answered Taki.

"We used to throw large stones like that. The Magikarp was light in comparison."

The scar on the fish drew Louis' attention. He knelt to the Magikarp.

"Are you ok?" he asked. "Did those Team Rocket goons give you that scar?"

"No," replied Magikarp.

"I got this after travelling too far," it explained.

"What do you mean?" questioned Totodile.

"A rogue current swept me into a rock face and I clipped my gill," answered Magikarp sadly.

Louis relayed this to Taki.

"Ouch," she said, wincing.

Louis' attention shifted back to the Magikarp.

"What even made you want to travel that far from home anyway?" he asked.

The Magikarp sighed.

"My home-stream is boring," it responded.

Surprised, Louis muttered under his breath.

"That sounds like me."

"What?" said Magikarp.

"Uh...nothing," replied Louis.

A stealthy, slinky movement near his feet caught Louis' eye. The Meowth crept like a cold wind in the direction of the Magikarp.

"Oh no you don't," said Louis, picking up the Meowth.

He walked over and handed the Meowth back to the fisherman, then he moved back to the Magikarp and smiled.

"I'm Louis," he introduced.

"...I'll try to remember that," replied Magikarp.

Behind him, a gruff voice began to address the Meowth. The fisherman dug into his backpack and produced a small, folded device. He approached the stream and slapped the mechanism against the water.

Almost immediately, the item unfolded into a tiny boat. The Meowth leapt from the riverbank to the flotation device and smiled, apparently proud of his minuscule vessel.

Louis returned his gaze to the fish Pokémon.

"Now you make sure nothing happens to that scar," said Louis.

"...why?" questioned Magikarp.

Louis stood up before speaking with a smile on his face.

"That scar of yours is going to reunite us someday," he said. "I just know it."

The Magikarp flicked its tail and turned to the open waters, motioning to leave

"Well...catch ya later," said Louis.

The Magikarp stopped and returned its attention to the human.

"What?" it inquired.

"Catch me?" it continued, surprised.

"Oh, no no no no," exclaimed Louis. "I meant...see you later."

"Ah! I see, well… may the stream carry you," offered Magikarp.

"Beg your pardon?" mentioned Louis, confused.

"Uh...bye," replied Magikarp.

With a sudden flap from its fins, it shot into the deep-blue depths. Bubbles floated to the surface and popped in its leaving.

Soon, the angler finished his packing preparations and accompanied the very slowly moving boat being piloted by the happy Meowth. The wind didn't seem to make the aquatic vessel sail any quicker.

"You'd think that boat would go faster," whispered Totodile. "It'll take days to get anywhere."

Louis caught sight of the angler smiling at his surroundings, simply absorbing the day.

"To a fisherman…" turned Louis.

"...that doesn't matter," he finished.

* * *

**Thanks for reading. Is there something you enjoyed? Can you guess what happens next? Or...what do you hope to see in future chapters? If so, go ahead and leave a review explaining any of these reasons. (Please don't leave hurtful reviews)**

**If you enjoy this story and don't want to miss out on future chapters, go ahead and follow/favourite this story so you will be notified when a new chapter is released. Heck, feel free to share this story with your friends.**

**Thanks again. See you next time**


	17. Chapter 17 - A Web of Truths

Soon, the trio departed the waterways and again set off towards the north.

"So, where do we go now?" questioned Louis.

"Where do you feel like going?" asked Totodile.

The boy stopped walking and turned his attention to the small Pokémon.

"Sorry?" he inquired.

"You've found three shards already without direction," explained Totodile.

"So...where do you feel like going?" it continued.

Louis took a deep breath and scanned the world around him. Behind him were a row of forests and fields, and in front, a vast mountain range in the distance. Taki followed his gaze to the mountains.

"I think that way too," she said

They proceed forward. Soon, the group stumbled into some unfenced farmland. They all froze in place, realizing where they were.

"...I don't think we should be here," said Taki.

"But the mountain path starts at the end of this field," mentioned Louis. "If we go around it, we'll lose half a day."

Taki reluctantly sighed.

"Don't blame me when we get chased by a Tauros." she said.

A perimeter, formed of vast oak trees lined the farm, with a row through the middle.

"If we keep to this path..." Louis paused.

"...we can probably cross without being seen."

Taki bit her tongue and followed.

The soft grass caressed their feet as they passed, and the warm, fertile soil relaxed Taki's sore, un-shoed feet.

"Hey, how come the crystal shards are so far apart from one another?" asked Totodile.

Louis shifted his head and gazed at Totodile with surprise.

"Good question," replied Louis.

"What did she say?" questioned Taki.

– "She asked why the shards are spread out across the region."

Taki pondered the question. She hadn't really thought about it until now.

"I'm guessing their placement is for safety reasons," she answered.

"Probably so it wouldn't be easy for thieves to find."

A cool breeze blew past the trio's bodies, putting their minds at ease.

Until…

An impact struck Louis' head, startling him.

"What the-?" he muttered.

The object, a sketch pad, fell to the ground after its surprise attack. Louis picked it up and inspected the item. But then, Louis felt something tap his shoulder.

"Um...sorry..." a young voice said. "...That's my book."

Louis turned his attention upwards and saw a young boy dangling upside-down from an old oak tree. Absentmindedly, Louis handed the item back to the kid.

"Oh, here you go," he said.

The boy grabbed the sketchbook as Louis released his grip.

"Thanks," he said.

"No problem," replied Louis.

Taki and Totodile looked up to the boy, while Louis started walking off. Before he could get far, Taki grabbed Louis' shirt and pulled him back to the group. Louis returned his attention to the dangling boy and shrieked.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed. "Are you alright?"

"Maybe...a little...help please?" The tree occupant asked.

Before Louis could even attempt, he noticed Taki already climbing up the tree, clenching a stick with her teeth. Totodile rode on her shoulder. Taki moved on top of the branch that the young boy was hanging from and reached down with the stick.

"Better brace yourself," called Taki, as she began sawing at the restraining thread.

Sooner than any could anticipate, the captive fell, and using Louis as a crash-pad, thumped to the floor.

"Man...you're pretty heavy," said Louis.

"Hey, don't say that!" groaned Taki.

Then, Taki and Totodile hopped down from the tree as the boy stumbled off Louis.

By looking at the boy's bright, youthful eyes, Taki could tell that this child was about eight years old.

He had dark green, ear-length hair parted at the center, and wore a green short-sleeved shirt, dark red shorts, along with purple and bright orange shoes. The most notable item of clothing was a salmon-coloured headband that the boy wore.

"How'd you even get up there?" questioned Louis.

"I...I think I got too close to a Weedle," the boy answered.

"A what?" inquired Taki.

– "A Weedle. It must've thought I would attack it, and it...webbed me to this tree."

"Oh…" paused Louis

"I thought maybe Team Rocket would've had something to do with that."

"Team...who?" questioned the boy.

"You'd know if you met them..." said Taki.

"...they're loud and obnoxious."

A quiet fell on the group, as they scanned their surroundings. Then, all four of them stood and began walking again.

"By the way, what's your name?" asked Louis.

"Tracey...Tracey Sketchit," the boy answered.

"You?"

"Name's Louis...Louis Serrano," said Louis

"And I'm Taki," added Taki.

"Pleasure." responded the newcomer.

Tracey sighed in disappointment.

"All this for a mountain sketch," he said.

"Mountain?" replied Louis.

"We're headed that way right now," added Taki.

"You should probably tag along." she offered.

"Are you sure?" questioned Tracey.

"Safety in numbers, pal," answered Louis, smiling.

The party approached the fence line bordering the farm, and, after helping each other over, Louis posed a question.

"So, where are you from?" he asked.

"Tangelo Island," answered Tracey.

At that moment, Louis stopped walking. Taki and Totodile leaned into the conversation.

"...you live in the Orange Islands?" continued Louis.

"Uh, yeah," responded Tracey.

"Why? Is something wrong?

"Not at all," replied Louis.

"I would've never guessed. ...what brings you to Johto?"

"My family are here on vacation," explained Tracey.

"Where are they now?" inquired Taki.

Tracey searched for an answer and, finding none, mumbled.

"Oh no," he said.

A look of worry played upon Tracey's face. Totodile gazed up to Louis.

"He doesn't know where they are, does he?" it asked.

"I don't think so," replied Louis.

Taki trotted over and placed a hand on Tracey's shoulder.

"Wherever they are, I'm sure we'll find them along the way," reassured Taki.

The grass below them turned to a sharp, course rubble underfoot as the mountain path loomed ahead. The air turned dry and cool, and swept through the group forebodingly...

* * *

**Thanks for reading. Is there something you enjoyed? Can you guess what happens next? Or...what do you hope to see in future chapters? If so, go ahead and leave a review explaining any of these reasons. (Please don't leave hurtful reviews)**

**If you enjoy this story and don't want to miss out on future chapters, go ahead and follow/favourite this story so you will be notified when a new chapter is released. Heck, feel free to share this story with your friends.**

**Thanks again. See you next time**


	18. Chapter 18 - A Surprising Result

Soon, the path narrowed, as imposing rockface met them at their sides. The descending temperature forced the party to huddle into their backpacks as they walked, unsuitably equipped for this leg of the journey.

"I don't like this," said Totodile.

"It's almost like the quiet before the storm," added Louis. "We better get moving."

Tracey's eyes locked onto a specific peak in the distance, the tallest amongst the rocks.

"That's the one," he said.

What is?" asked Taki.

"Before I was webbed up, I was trying to find a peak to draw from," explained Tracey.

Louis rotated his head to respond.

"Do you think we should go with him?" asked Louis.

– "Well, we can't just leave him n-"

Taki stopped as a sudden, rapidly-barreling sound thundered from above, alerting her ears.

"Louis, LOOK OUT!" she shouted.

"Huh?" replied Louis.

Above, a boulder with eyes and arms, a Geodude, careened towards the group. A worried voice emanated from the tumbling rock.

"WHOA!" yelped Louis.

On instinct, Louis dove down, flat onto his stomach, just as the Geodude hit a nearby rock and became airborne, sailing over the group.

"Sorry!" it exclaimed, apologetically.

Landing with a thud, it continued its downward descent and cornered out of view.

"That's gonna leave a mark," said Louis, brushing dirt from grazes.

"You ok?" asked Tracey.

"Yeah," answered Louis.

– "Do they always do that?"

"I think the Geodude just...fell," said Taki.

Totodile giggled.

Eventually, the group struggled to the top and found a flat precipice jutting from the peak.

"This is perfect!" said Tracey, retrieving his sketch pad and pencils.

The sun waned and began to dip in the sky. Its bright light faded to an amber that caressed the landscape with a golden hue.

"So, what are you going to draw?" asked Taki.

"You'll see," responded Tracey.

From behind, a clattering of utensils emitted, drawing Louis' attention. Taki arranged three plates and began cooking.

"Taki, what are you doing?" questioned Louis.

Taki glanced at the sunset, and then back to Louis.

"Hey Tracey," called Taki.

"How long do you think you'll need?"

The first of the mountains already sketched, Tracey estimated.

"About forty-five minutes," he said, smiling.

"We probably won't get down before nightfall," replied Taki, to Louis' question.

"I'm setting up camp."

Louis acknowledged her answer, nodding.

'She's right,' he thought.

"And it's gonna get cold," he added.

The two adventurers struggled to produce a flame for a campfire, while the artist continued to sketch. Totodile watched the sunset, humming to herself cheerfully.

Eventually, the scent of freshly cooked rice emanated from the pot and wafted down the mountainside.

"Hey, the food's ready!" called Taki.

In a flourish, Tracey added the final strokes to his work.

"Almost done!" he replied.

Nearby, Louis stared at the first of the evening stars.

"Are you alright, Louis?" asked Taki.

"Y-yeah," answered Louis.

"...I've just been doing some thinking."

"Anything we should know about?" questioned the girl after shovelling a mouthful of rice.

Tracey ate like a devil. Numerous 'slurps' accompanied his frenzied assault on the food, and he barely looked up from his plate.

"It's uh...regarding my parents," explained Louis.

"Louis, don't worry," reassured Taki.

"I'm sure that letter will reach them in no time."

"That's not what I've been thinking about," said the boy.

– "Huh?"

"I've been trying to figure out which side of their families were a part of the tribe," described Louis.

"It's been boggling my mind since Chief Tanaka told me the whole story."

"Maybe it was someone on your mother's side," suggested Taki.

"I don't know," said Louis.

"My mom was born in Unova, a-"

A sudden rotor-whop, beating the air, interrupted Louis. The noise drawing the group's attention. Taki squinted her eyes toward the object, as Louis blurted…

"Aww man, not Team Rocket again!"

The helicopter lurched in the sky. A small trail of smoke bellowed from the tail rotor. It struggled, fighting the atmosphere around it. As it was about to leave view, the machine began to descend around the mountain, just out of the group's vision.

"Those clowns always do something when we're around," grumbled Taki.

The sound dimmed and eventually stopped.

"That's where we're going," said Louis.

"What?" questioned Taki.

"...tomorrow," added the boy.

The plan made, Louis turned to Tracey.

"Oh, Tracey," called Louis. "How'd your drawing go?"

Tracey's eyes widened.

"You guys wanna see it?" he asked, surprised

"Of course," answered Taki.

In a movement, Tracey flicked through the sketch pad and found tonight's art. He held it with both hands and stretched his arms out.

Before them, the youth gripped an image identical to the mountains displayed, while behind the sketch Tracey smiled, proudly. The trio of Louis, Taki and Totodile couldn't believe their eyes, mesmerised by the boy's artwork.

"...that's amazing!" the group said in unison.

Totodile poked the image, confused that a two-dimensional drawing could look identical to real life.

"You guys like it?" inquired Tracey.

"You bet," answered Louis.

"Who taught you how to do that, Tracey?" questioned Taki.

"My dad's an expert..." answered Tracey.

"...but he says that I'm getting better than him."

Taki gasped.

"That's right, your parents!" she squeaked.

"We'll get you back to them, soon."

With tomorrow's direction in mind and the moon rising, the group made for their sleeping bags as the last of the fire embered out.

* * *

**Thanks for reading. Is there something you enjoyed? Can you guess what happens next? Or...what do you hope to see in future chapters? If so, go ahead and leave a review explaining any of these reasons. (Please don't leave hurtful reviews)**

**If you enjoy this story and don't want to miss out on future chapters, go ahead and follow/favourite this story so you will be notified when a new chapter is released. Heck, feel free to share this story with your friends.**

**Thanks again. See you next time**


	19. Chapter 19 - Revelations

Taki, Tracey and Totodile slept soundly, while a restless slumber incessantly stirred Louis.

In his dream, flashes of memory played like scenes on a movie screen. A Rapidash hurtled him through areas unknown, accompanied by the sounds or rotor whop and fire. Then, a blinding light emerged from his hand, while something formed words in his mind, in an unfamiliar voice;

_Where are you, Miguel?_

And then…he started falling.

This jolted the boy awake. He shook his head, in an attempt to clear his mind.

"Bad dreams?" said Tracey, witnessing the commotion.

Louis turned glanced to the young boy, noticing his concern.

"More like strange," he replied.

"I've had nightmares before, but this was different."

Nearby, Taki stirred next to Totodile, who fastened its head bow for the day's journey.

"Anyway…" continued Louis. "...we better pack up and get going."

"Already done," said Tracey, who spun, revealing a packed bag.

Soon, the group made their way downhill. Loose shale dislodged from underfoot and cascaded down the stone slope. The falling pebbles echoed off the rock face in a rumbling chorus.

Taki lead the way with Totodile trotting close behind. Louis and Tracey followed suit, with the latter furiously sketching absentmindedly. Tracey's foot slipped, having veered slightly off-course.

"Hey hey HEY!" yelled Louis, as he grabbed Tracey's shoulders, steadying him.

"Eyes on the road, buddy," continued Louis.

"Sorry," said Tracey. "I was busy drawing this."

Tracey presented Louis with a freshly made, and very accurate sketch of Totodile.

"Hey, that's really good," complimented Louis quietly, still distracted by the night's visions.

"You're not as chirpy as yesterday," said Tracey, picking up on the lowered mood.

"It was just a dream," replied Louis. "Don't worry about it."

Eavesdropping on the conversation, Taki drew her attention to Tracey and Louis.

"Oh?" she said, now intrigued at Louis' mood.

"I've been having some dreams, Taki," responded Louis.

"We all have those," said Taki.

– "No...these are different."

"How?" questioned the girl.

"They've been mixed memories and oddities, and…" Louis paused.

He then took a deep breath and spoke again.

"...something else," he finished.

Tracey stared at the boy with curiosity filling his spirit.

"What?" he questioned.

"I heard a strange voice repeating the same words over and over again," answered Louis.

"What did it say?" said Taki stopping in place.

"It said...'Where are you, Miguel?'," replied Louis.

Taki's face twisted.

"Miguel?" she said. "Who's Miguel?"

Louis cleared his throat before answering.

"...it's my Dad's name," he said.

Surprise swept through the group, stopping the rest of them in place.

"Is he...still around?" inquired Taki, cautiously.

"Huh? Oh yeah!" replied Louis. "He's just...sorta...busy."

"...how come you never told me this?" questioned the girl.

"I...couldn't figure out the right way to mention it" voiced Louis.

Taki walked uphill to the distressed boy and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Louis, you don't have to keep hiding this from us," she said with a comforting smile.

"We're a team, aren't we?" she continued.

Her effort relaxed Louis, slightly.

"Yeah, we are," he said. "It's just that...I think someone's looking for my dad."

The group absorbed this information as the ground began to level out below them. Soon, the dust from the mountains cleared in the cool air as they approached a luscious green forest.

"This must be Bleakwood Forest," said Taki.

"You've heard about this place?" questioned Louis.

"Yep. The chief said that some other tribespeople came here in the past."

Intrigued, Louis grinned.

"Wait...wasn't there a helicopter from Team Rocket in the sky last night?" asked Tracey.

"Oh! The helicopter!" yelped Totodile.

Louis grinned and said…

"That's where we're going."

All of a sudden…a shockwave beat through their chests, forcing Tracey onto his back, followed by a booming explosion.

"WHOA!" shrieked Taki.

"What just happened?!"

Tracey stared up at the sky from his vantage point on his back. Two dots, with smoke trailing, shot overhead, catching his eye.

"Hey! What's that?" he said, pointing upwards.

The rest of the group followed his gaze as Taki squinted. Louis was the first to recognise the bizarre haircuts accompanying the flying shapes.

"It's Cassidy and Mitch!" he shouted, pointing and laughing.

And...faintly, from the sky, came a response.

"IT'S BUTCH!"

* * *

**Thanks for reading. Is there something you enjoyed? Can you guess what happens next? Or...what do you hope to see in future chapters? If so, go ahead and leave a review explaining any of these reasons. (Please don't leave hurtful reviews)**

**If you enjoy this story and don't want to miss out on future chapters, go ahead and follow/favourite this story so you will be notified when a new chapter is released. Heck, feel free to share this story with your friends.**

**Thanks again. See you next time**


	20. Chapter 20 - A Wind of Memory

The echoes of the explosion soon died out, and eventually, the birds began to sing again. Louis, still chuckling, returned his gaze to the others and caught his breath.

"That's the third time that's happened," said Totodile.

"You mean second," corrected Louis.

"There's bound to be a third sometime soon," he continued, smiling.

The morning sun swept its light across the land, bathing the gargantuan trees in warmth, which in turn sent long, cool, fingers of shadow across the forest floor.

However, an acrid scent drifted through the trees and met the group, lodging firmly in Taki's nose.

"I think I can smell the wreckage," she said, grimacing.

"I'm guessing so," replied Louis as he began to point into the woods.

"The helicopter landed in that direction," he continued.

As they approached the source, the air grew thicker with smoke. Burnt fuel, and scorched oil replaced the clean air around them. Tracey lifted the collar of his shirt over the bridge of his nose, in an attempt to stifle the intake of smoke.

Soon, a broken tail rotor, barely connected to a shattered cabin, met their eyes as they travelled deeper. A crumpled, smashed frame of a helicopter poked out from the forest floor like a row of metallic saplings.

"Wow, they must be really bad pilots," snarked Totodile.

Louis chortled at the comment.

"No way they're fixing this," quipped Louis as he kicked a crumpled hunk of sheet metal.

A creaking of metal, and a pop, drew the group's attention. Suddenly, the craft's oil reservoir split further, releasing more black liquid into the flames, doubling the thick plume of awfulness into the air.

"Ugh, this smoke is killing me," choked Tracey under his shirt-mask.

Immediately, all four of them backed up from the wreckage and sprinted away, deeper into the forest as the air grew more toxic.

Everyone took an enormous breath, regaining the pure, fresh air into their lungs.

"Ahh, much better," voiced Tracey after a sputtering coughing fit.

A cool breeze punched through the forest, sweeping away the hazardous plume.

But then, a broken, disjointed sentence of muttered words crept along the breeze and found Totodile's ears.

"Can you...hear that?" questioned Totodile, looking up at Louis.

"Huh?" replied Louis.

"A voice," said the little Pokémon.

Louis turned to Tracey and Taki, and placed a finger on his lips in a hushing gesture. He then returned his focus to Totodile.

"Where from?" he asked.

Tracey screwed up his face in confusion, witnessing the exchange between human and Pokémon. Totodile then pointed in the presumed direction.

Taking a series of quiet steps, Louis motioned the group to follow in kind. Beyond five trees, the source of the words became clear. A tired, curled-up Venusaur napped in a soft bed of grass, muttering in its slumber.

"Oh…" whispered Louis.

"...it's a Venusaur," added Totodile.

Momentarily, it spoke again.

"Where...are you…?" slurred the sleepy monster.

The words played in Louis' mind, almost forming a thought.

"We better not wake it," said Louis. "Let's go around."

With caution, all four of them tiptoed past the sleeping Pokémon. They were almost out of ear-shot when the Venusaur muttered once more. This time, freezing Louis in place with a gasp.

"Where are you…

...Miguel?"

* * *

**Thanks for reading. Is there something you enjoyed? Can you guess what happens next? Or...what do you hope to see in future chapters? If so, go ahead and leave a review explaining any of these reasons. (Please don't leave hurtful reviews)**

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**Thanks again. See you next time**


	21. Chapter 21 - Ghost Steps

Miguel.

A name Louis never expected he'd hear in this place, spoken by a Pokémon who had no reason to know it.

Louis' heart beat faster and a cold sweat formed on his arms.

'How could that Venusaur know my dad's name?' he thought.

The group, failing to realise that Louis had stopped, quickly returned to the frozen boy.

"Uh...Louis?" spoke Taki, waving her hand in front of his face.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

Louis blinked. His thoughts still overriding his ability to answer. Totodile grew worried of the boy, and, mistakenly thinking he was under a spell, leapt up and bit his arm once again.

The pain awoke Louis like a nerve-splitting alarm. He almost screamed, wide-eyed, instead choosing to bite his other arm to stifle his yelp.

The sudden attack from the little Pokémon startled Taki. She rushed over to pry Totodile from the boy's arm and placed her hands on both sides of the creator's cold, scaly jaw.

"Come on, get off him!" ordered Taki firmly.

The tiny Pokémon relinquished its grip and fell to the ground. Relief swept through Louis' right arm, until he realised he was still being bitten by himself. He relaxed his jaw while still staring at the slumbering Venusaur.

"Please...come back…" the boy overheard.

A plan began to form in Louis' mind.

"Uh...I'll be right back," he whispered. "Stay quiet, okay?"

Taki nodded. As the boy left, she turned to the bitey little Pokémon.

"Will you quit doing that?" she scolded, while Totodile's gaze followed the boy, with a worried expression on its face.

Like a stealthy Rattata, Louis inched closer to the sleeper. A memory broke into his mind.

'Ghost steps...'

Louis' mind flung him six years into the past…

* * *

_Miguel placed a hand over his closed eyes and began to count. Hide and seek was Louis' favourite game, but Miguel would always find him, much to the disbelief of his son._

_"One...two...thre-..." a clambering of footsteps ran down the home's hall, around the corner, and into a bedroom wardrobe. Miguel chuckled. His son was quite loud, playing the noisiest game of hide and seek._

_"Louis, get out of the wardrobe and come back here," he laughed._

_Louis opened the wardrobe door._

_"Aww, how did you know?" yelled Louis, climbing from the not-so-hidden hiding spot, and returning to his father._

_"If you ever want to beat me at hide and seek, you need to be quieter, like a Caterpie in the trees," suggested Miguel._

_"I don't know how," replied Louis._

_Miguel grinned._

_"Here, watch this," he said._

_Miguel pointed to his feet, with Louis observing. He then silently placed a heel on the ground, then rolled his weight to the side of his foot, before placing the rest of his foot to the floor. He did that again, but with the other foot._

_The footsteps made no sound._

_"Whoa!" exclaimed Louis.__"How did you do that? What did you do?"_

_"I call them Ghost Steps, kid," answered Miguel._

* * *

"Heel...side...toe…"

_"Heel...side...toe…"_

Within ten of these silent ghost steps, Louis arrived at the slumbering Pokémon. It stirred, muttering. Louis knelt and placed a hand on the Venusaur.

"Hey...Venusaur…" he whispered, lightly shaking the resting creature.

"Come on, wake up," he continued.

The grass-type Pokémon's eyes flipped open and stared at Louis.

"...who...who are you?" it asked.

"M-...my name's Louis, and...I overheard you sleep-talking," answered Louis.

The Pokémon's eyes lit up. An expression of surprise played on its features at the boy that could understand it.

"So you're a Ho-Ken too, huh?" questioned the now awake lizard-looking Pokémon.

"I...guess so?" responded Louis.

"Do you remember what you were dreaming about?" he asked. "It sounded like you were looking for someone."

"...I was," answered Venusaur. "There was a boy I used to interact with many moons ago, along with his mother. His name was Miguel."

That name again, the one he overheard the sleeper speak.

"As in...Miguel Serrano?" questioned Louis.

The two stared at each other in silence.

"How do you know the Serranos?" she eventually asked.

"Because..." the boy replied, "..._I_ am one."

Venusaur's jaw dropped.

"What?" it gasped.

A sudden realisation dawned on the young man.

"Wait a minute…" he muttered. "If you knew my dad, and you're aware of the Ho-Ken tribe...then…"

"That's it! My dad must've been a part of the tribe!"

The Venusaur stared at Louis.

"You have the same kind eyes," it said, noting the family resemblance.

"He never told you? That he was a Ho-Ken?" it asked.

"No...not once," replied Louis.

A rustling from the bushes signified Totodile was getting restless. Venusaur stared into the foliage.

"Who's that?" it asked, pointing a vine toward the noise.

"Oh, don't worry," said Louis remembering the rest of his party. He waved them over.

"They're with me," he reassured

The group reformed as the young Totodile ran to Louis' side.

"My my," said Venusaur. "That's a very pretty bow."

"Thank you!" replied Totodile giggling.

Venusaur looked from the Totodile to Louis.

"She thinks very highly of you," it said.

"Actually...she's not mine," replied Louis.

Taki and Tracey approached the group.

"She's Taki's," said Louis pointing at the girl.

Venusaur looked to Taki.

"Are you a Ho-Ken too?" it inquired.

A series of "Venus-aur" noises met Taki's ears. She looked to Louis, confused.

"She is…" Louis responded for Taki. "...she just can't understand Pokémon...yet."

Venusaur smiled and raised a front leg towards Taki, in greeting.

"Saur Venus-aur," said Venusaur.

Louis translated.

"Venusaur said…'Pleased to meet you, Taki'."

Taki reached a hand towards the four-legged Pokémon and shook its cold claw.

Tracey stood aghast at the scene before him. In a single movement, he produced his pad and pencil and furiously sketched the incredible encounter.

* * *

**Thanks for reading. Is there something you enjoyed? Can you guess what happens next? Or...what do you hope to see in future chapters? If so, go ahead and leave a review explaining any of these reasons. (Please don't leave hurtful reviews)**

**If you enjoy this story and don't want to miss out on future chapters, go ahead and follow/favourite this story so you will be notified when a new chapter is released. Heck, feel free to share this story with your friends.**

**Thanks again. See you next time**


	22. Chapter 22 - The Stage is Set

**To WyldClaw: There'll be a number of things you won't expect in this story...I think.**

**From Toadly1998**

* * *

The warm, clear-aired glade began to darken. A bitter, metallic scent invaded their noses as a new wind from the east swept in, carrying with it the toxic fumes from the helicopter wreckage.

"Do you smell something?" questioned Venusaur, intrigued.

"That must be from the helicopter wreckage," responded Totodile.

"...was it yours?" inquired Venusaur.

"What? No," answered Louis.

Tracey lifted his shirt-collar, fashioning it to a face mask again.

"It's getting thicker," he coughed. "Let's go!"

The group nodded in unison, and soon, stepped deeper into the thick wood. The forest floor softly cushioned their steps, a welcome change from the sharp, mountainous pebbles behind them.

Then, Venusaur turned to Louis and spoke.

"Tell me, what brings you all out here?" it asked.

Louis glanced at Venusaur.

"We've come looking for a shard," he answered.

He reached into the pocket of his jacket and produced the currently unfinished crystal.

"...a shard that links to this," continued Louis.

"I see..." said Venusaur, quietly.

"...I thought you might be the ones."

Louis stopped.

"What do you mean?" he questioned.

"If you're Miguel's son, and you've been led to me... then the time of change is upon us," it explained.

Confused, Louis thought back to the village chief's words.

"This ancient crystal predates people and all we have are myths. It is said that when the light hits it, a rainbow is formed and Ho-Oh appears."

Louis relayed the chief's words to Venusaur. He had almost forgotten the wise man's words.

"Did he say anything else?" added the green Pokémon.

Louis had to think back hard, trying to recall more vital information.

"Before we left, the chief said one more thing," he replied. "He told us that...someone may be trying to end the tribe."

"Then it's as I thought…" said Venusaur.

"...we haven't much time."

* * *

**Thanks for reading. Is there something you enjoyed? Can you guess what happens next? Or...what do you hope to see in future chapters? If so, go ahead and leave a review explaining any of these reasons. (Please don't leave hurtful reviews)**

**If you enjoy this story and don't want to miss out on future chapters, go ahead and follow/favourite this story so you will be notified when a new chapter is released. Heck, feel free to share this story with your friends.**

**Thanks again. See you next time**


	23. Chapter 23 - The Crossing

**Happy New Year, everyone!**

* * *

The forest floor hardened underfoot with the changing terrain, no longer a soft bed of grass, but instead, smooth round pebbles slid under their steps.

The sound of water flowing through and around rocks crept amidst the trees, as the group approached a babbling waterway.

"That sounds like a stream," said Taki cupping a hand to her ear.

As the noise grew louder with each step forward, her guess faded when Louis spoke.

"I don't think that's a stream," he said.

A vast, wide estuary opened before them, a liquid artery, thirty feet across. Numerous water Pokémon splashed about in the body of water, forming a rainbow of colours that flashed in the blue.

"It's a river," gasped Tracey.

A noise and a flash of blue drew Tracey's eye upstream. A small Horsea splashed down on the other side of a long, black log that spanned the estuary.

"We could get across on that," said Tracey pointing.

The group followed Tracey's gaze to the crossing point. An ancient, half-rotten oak, now the plaything of a group of happy Horsea.

As they stepped toward the Woodbridge, Louis, reaching the log, glanced back and saw Venusaur placing a leg in the stream, as Totodile jumped on its back.

"What are you doing?" he called.

"That log won't be able to support me," replied Venusaur.

Louis nodded. Tracey's jaw dropped, more confused than ever.

"Can...can he speak to them?" he asked.

Taki placed a finger to her lips and smiled mischievously.

"Shh. It's a secret," she whispered.

Tracey nodded. Removing her footwear, Taki placed a nervous step upon the rotted bridge and began to cross, followed by Louis.

"Why did you take your shoes off?" called Tracey.

Taki pointed at Louis over her shoulder with her thumb.

"Because of that!" she replied.

Without fail and almost on cue, Louis began to slip, his footwear failing to find purchase on the ancient log, pieces of it stripped under his feet and fell to the rushing water below.

A look of panic spread across his face. Tracey giggled, also removing his footwear, and placed a soft foot on the log.

With a leap, Taki bounded from bridge to riverbank, safely completing her crossing. Louis, however, caused more of the Woodbridge to crumble away under heavy shoes.

Venusaur effortlessly found the opposite bank, its enormous clawed foot gouging the mud as she emerged from the river.

Totodile, mimicking Taki, jumped the final three feet. Both turned and looked to the rest of the party.

Louis scrambled to the end of the log, sending more chunks of wood into the stream. He looked back, seeing the damage he caused, and called to Tracey.

"Uh Tracey, I may have caused a bit of damage. Be careful crossing, okay?"

"It looks more than a bit!" replied Tracey, nervously.

He placed tentative step after tentative step as Venusaur moved closer to the log. Almost halfway across, Tracey yelped as his foot slipped on an exposed and damaged section of the log. Falling, he outstretched his arms and gripped on to the hunk of wood. Tears streamed down his face.

"AAH! HELP!" he cried.

"Oh no!" shrieked Taki, leaping back on the log.

"I'm coming back, just hang on," she continued.

As Taki spoke, Venusaur whipped two long vines at the flailing child, wrapping him around the waist, and raised the boy waist-high. It looked to Louis before speaking.

"Tell the kid to let go!" it called.

Quickly, Louis shouted at the boy.

"It's OK! You can let go now!"

It was tough to do, but gradually, Tracey relinquished his grip, as the strong water pulled at the child's legs. Eventually, he let go. The river carried the boy downstream past Venusaur who began pulling the boy back to the riverbank.

"Thanks, Venusaur," he said, gratefully.

Venusaur smiled.

"That was my fault," whispered Louis, swearing to never put himself before his team again.

"I could've saved him," said a defiant Taki.

Venusaur raised an eye at the girl.

"Venu-saur Saur Saur," it said.

The group looked at Louis.

"Venusaur said…'You need to let others help you'."

Taki gasped. A truth spoken so simply, so eloquently as to defy any resistance her mind could offer. The words from the newcomer had cut deep. She nodded quietly in acceptance and rejoined the party.

* * *

**Thanks for reading. Is there something you enjoyed? Can you guess what happens next? Or...what do you hope to see in future chapters? If so, go ahead and leave a review explaining any of these reasons. (Please don't leave hurtful reviews)**

**If you enjoy this story and don't want to miss out on future chapters, go ahead and follow/favourite this story so you will be notified when a new chapter is released. Heck, feel free to share this story with your friends.**

**Thanks again. See you next time**


	24. Chapter 24 - Hollow Memories

With their backs to the river, the group proceeded onward. The voice of the waterway faded with each step as a fresh, clean breeze swept through the group. For a while, the gathering travelled in silence, until Totodile stopped and stared at Louis with a concerned look.

"Hey, Louis?" it asked.

"Yeah, what is it?" responded Louis.

"...are you feeling ok?" questioned Totodile.

Louis realised his thoughts had played upon his face, betraying his usual happy features. Memories clouded his mind and unanswered questions followed. He blinked, eventually responding to the small Pokémon.

"Yeah," he replied. "I'm just trying to process everything."

Venusaur shifted its eyes to him, sensing the boy's confusion.

"Child…" it said. "...I can tell you have questions."

Louis looked to Venusaur and then back to Taki, Totodile and Tracey. He was about to speak when Taki held up her hand.

"Go get your answers," she spoke. "It's ok."

Louis paused, taken aback by the girl's understanding. He reached into his pocket and rummaged about, eventually producing the jagged, cold and unfinished crystal.

"Here," said Louis. "Don't go too far, alright?"

Silently, Taki took the crystal, nodding. The girl then turned her attention to the young artist.

"Hey Tracey," she said. "Let's go for a walk, okay?"

"Can I draw?" Tracey asked, a hope out his eyes.

"Of course you can" responded the girl, smiling.

The group parted ways, and soon, Louis and Venusaur found a secluded, soft glade within the warm branches. As he sat down, Louis noticed a yellow seed within Venusaur's flower. He wasn't a trainer, but Louis knew what this meant.

'Oh, that's right,' he thought. 'Female Venusaurs have a seed.'

Even though they had just met, Louis sensed a kindred spirit and felt relaxed around the Pokémon as it sat next to him.

"I am going to tell you some things you've probably never heard…" said Venusaur.

* * *

Meanwhile, the rest of the party traversed the forest, passing fresh sapling and ancient withered growths. Sunlight penetrated the canopy intermittently while Totodile frollocked in the warm rays, near a small outcropping of shrubs.

A number of Pokémon brushed by the bushes. The group saw a line of Bellossom, Sunflora, and Chikoritas playfully chasing one another.

Totodile couldn't resist.

The urge to jump-in overrode her senses and she quickly joined the tail of the line. Taki giggled and as she turned to make sure Tracey was paying attention to the spectacle, she heard the scratching sound of pencil scribbling on paper.

Tracey had already drawn the event playing before him. With a combination of a sigh and a laugh, Taki approached the dancing, little Totodile.

"Come on, Totodile," she said, taking the little Pokémon's arm. "There'll be time for this later."

Totodile scowled at the girl, a face that made Taki giggle even more.

"Hey, I didn't know your hand could glow," called Tracey.

"What are you talking about?" replied Taki.

She looked at her clenched hand and spotted the glowing light Tracey was referring to.

An indescribable force began to lift the girl's hand, and she tightened her grip on the bright combination of shards.

"Whoa!" shrieked Taki, now sprinting to keep the crystal from escaping her clutches. Totodile followed suit.

"It's doing that thing again," she added.

"Hey! Wait up!" called Tracey, slamming his sketch pad shut.

Taki began to pant, struggling to keep up with the crystal's draw. It had almost slipped through her fingers when she saw...it.

A colossal, old, and hollow tree met her view. A foul, rough, grey bark coated the timeworn hardwood.

At its base, a dark, doorless hollow stared back at them, leading to a pitch-black subterranean cavity.

Hairs shot up on the back of Tracey's neck as he laid eyes on Taki gazing at the monstrous, long-dead tree.

* * *

Some distance away, Louis began to speak.

"So...what did you want to tell me?" he asked.

Venusaur cleared her throat and began to speak.

"That tribe you're a part of…" she began. "...it's been in existence for a very long time."

"I'm aware of that," replied Louis.

"Were you aware that your father was connected to it?" questioned Venusaur.

Louis shook his head.

"Not until now," he said. "I haven't heard him mention anything about a tribe at any point in my life."

A hooting Noctowl briefly interrupted them.

"Did he ever tell you about his fall?" inquired Venusaur.

The question confused Louis.

"Fall?" he responded.

– "I'll take that as a no," she said, raising an eyelid.

Venusaur sighed, closed her eyes, and spoke.

"Thirty-two years ago…" she began. "...your father was given the same task by the chief."

Slowly, Louis' eyes widened as his jaw, and the penny dropped.

* * *

Taki's feet gripped the earth in resistance, and her heart raced at the thought of having to enter the abyssal hollow.

Tracey and Totodile caught up, struggling for breath, as Taki's eyes watered up.

"We've got to go in," she whimpered.

Barely lit by the ever-shifting rainbow hue, the group took their first steps into the chasm. Numerous skittering sounds like claws on wood began to grow closer. Six sharp sensations pierced Taki's shoulder.

"Uh...Totodile?" she spoke. "...are you trying to bite my shoulder?"

"No, it's standing next to me," Tracey answered for Totodile.

Frightened, Taki shifted her eyes to her right shoulder and saw two black eyes staring back at her.

Before she could scream, a quick blast of water shot her shoulder, removing the curious Spinarak from her body. The shock jolted Taki.

"What was that?!" she blurted.

"It...was just a Spinarak," answered Tracey. "Nothing to worry about."

The young artist lowered himself and moved closer to the little, blue Pokémon

"Nice shot, Totodile," he whispered.

A glimmer from above drew Taki's gaze, as the crystal

* * *

Louis regained some composure.

"My dad...was sent to gather the shards too?"

"Yes," replied Venusaur. "Until his fall."

"What do you mean?" asked Louis.

"Your father was on a cliff face, near a river. Something drew him too close to the edge. His foot slipped and he fell out of his mother's view."

"Then what?"

"His mother climbed down after him and found him unconscious, with a gash under his left eye."

Louis started to piece all this information together. With how his father never told him about being a part of the tribe, and now about his big fall in the past. There was only one logical conclusion to it.

"So...did he have...amnesia?" inquired Louis.

Venusaur nodded.

"We think the impact shook the memories from his head. When he awoke, your father didn't recognise the woman sitting next to him, the reason he was here, or...who he was."

"Uh...I-...what?" stuttered Louis.

"And now, young man, the task falls to you."

* * *

Taki tried reaching up to the shining light from above. Unfortunately, she was too far out of range to actually grab the object. At first, she thought of climbing up the hollow to get it, but then she remembered about the Spinarak creeping along the structure. Taki turned around to look at Tracey.

"Tracey, can you give me a hand?" she offered.

Tracey was already in a leg-up position, his hands clasped and prepared for her feet. She placed a foot in his grasp.

"On three, okay?" said Taki, beginning to count.

The number arrived and Tracey strained with all his might to lift the girl. His feet bit into the dirt below him. After barely raising the girl to any height, an idea crossed Tracey.

"Taki, let's swap," he struggled.

The girl remembered the Venusaur's words.

"Uh...ok," replied Taki. "I didn't want anything crawling on me, anyway."

They switched as Taki handed the boy the crystal, and soon Tracey was lifted into the hollow's darkness above them, toward the glow.

* * *

Louis nodded at the information.

"So I have to finish my Dad's mission," he said.

"That's right," replied Venusaur.

Suddenly, a bright ball of light burst through the seams of the forest, momentarily blinding the duo. Louis shielded his eyes, and as the light faded, a thought struck him.

"Oh!" he exclaimed. "They must've found another shard."

Venusaur nodded, grinning.

"Now is the time of caution, young one..." warned Venusaur.

"...you are close to the end," she added.

Louis continued to stare at the fading glow, its initial flash still obscuring his clarity of vision.

"We should see if they're okay"

* * *

Tracey stood and brushed the dark earth from his shoulders. In his hand, he clutched the newly formed crystal. The boy couldn't believe his eyes.

"Are you alright?" questioned Taki. "That was a big fall."

"I'm fine," coughed Tracey.

The boy opened his clenched fist, revealing a new colour on the crystal embedded within a fresh jutting, sharp shard.

"Look!" he said, excitedly. "Did we get it?"

Taki smiled.

"Yeah, we did," she confirmed. "Nice work, kid."

A sense of warmth flooded Tracey, proud to be of some help to his new friends. The trio emerged from the dark, wooden, hollow void to see several sets of familiar eyes staring back at them.

"So, you found another one," called Louis. "Are you guys ok?"

The young artist ran up to Louis, a smile lighting his features, and he held up the collection of shards.

"Look, a green one!" said Tracey, ecstatically.

Louis gazed at the crystal and placed it back in his pocket, and raised a questioning look to Taki.

"A giant tree," said Totodile, sensing the boy's question, pointing.

Someone's stomach grumbled, loudly. A deep, guttural, bubbling interrupted everyone's train of thought. Three sets of eyes looked toward Venusaur, who shook her head in denial. Then, the gazes turned to Louis.

"It wasn't me!" he defensively said.

Taki, holding one hand on her stomach, raised her other arm.

"Uh...that was me," she confessed, blushing.

* * *

**...wow! Mind. Blown! Who would've thought _THAT _would happen? ...anyone?**

**Anyway, t****hanks for reading. Is there something you enjoyed? Can you guess what happens next? Or...what do you hope to see in future chapters? If so, go ahead and leave a review explaining any of these reasons. (Please don't leave hurtful reviews)**

**If you enjoy this story and don't want to miss out on future chapters, go ahead and follow/favourite this story so you will be notified when a new chapter is released. Heck, feel free to share this story with your friends.**

**Thanks again. See you next time**


	25. Chapter 25 - Night Walkers

**To maycontestdrew: "Aw...thank you for your kind words :)"**

**To WyldClaw: "Expect the unexpected. It's gonna be intense"**

**From Toadly1998**

* * *

The girl rummaged through her belongings in an unfruitful attempt to locate food, producing only an empty bag of rice. She stared at it solemnly.

"Oh no," she said, as Tracey stretched and yawned.

"You look exhausted," said Venusaur. "You'll need to rest before you travel again, or else you won't be strong enough."

Louis nodded at her and relayed the message to the others.

"We should set up camp," he said.

He looked up into the sky and from the position of the sun, estimated it was around midday.

"We'll stay the day, and travel in the night," the boy added

Taki withdrew a portion of herbs that she used to help cook the rice, but with no food, she couldn't do anything with them.

However, as Taki contemplated her next move, she noticed that something, or someone, was missing.

"Hey, where's Totodile?" questioned Taki.

The group quickly scanned their area for the little Pokémon, calling its name, and found nothing.

A deep worry formed in their hearts, its cold grip squeezing their emotions to panic.

Minutes passed with no relief, and the group fell silent.

Suddenly a bush nearby rustled and shook, and through it, burst a shape, clutching something.

They turned to the noise, senses heightened by worry.

Totodile stood, arms full of small, red berries, and as one, the party sighed in relief.

"Oh, thank goodness you're okay," said Taki, relieved.

"Don't you dare wander off again!" she barked.

Totodile, unaware of the group's concern, smiled and dropped the berries near Taki's supplies. Louis scooped up a single berry and chewed it. As he bit down, the berry exploded in his mouth, sending a fruity, sweet taste upon his tongue. He smiled.

"Whoa! These are really good!" cheered the boy, patting Totodile on the head. Taki assessed the culinary situation, and bit down on a berry, gauging its flavour. She scratched her head.

"What am I gonna do with all these berries?" she wondered.

"Maybe a berry curry?" suggested Louis, hopefully.

Taki's eyes flicked up to meet his.

"I can't do that without rice," she said as a large frown replaced Louis' optimistic grin.

Then, Taki snapped her fingers as an idea arrived.

"What about soup?" she offered.

"Yes, please!" interrupted Tracey.

Taki gently picked up one of the berries from the pile and, with her other hand, placed her index finger and thumb on the top and bottom of the fruit. A slight pinch removed the skin from the berry, and she placed the fleshy red pulp into another bowl.

Tracey watched on, fascinated, as Taki continued the meal preparation. Soon, a large pile of skinned berries formed next to the cooking pot.

"All we need is some water," said Taki.

Louis stood up.

"I'll get some," he began.

A sudden, splashing jet of water filled the cooking pot. Some of the water drenched the travellers. All three humans turned to see that it was only Totodile using its Hydro Pump ability. The small Pokémon chuckled to itself, proudly.

"...nevermind," Louis finished, wringing water from his shirt.

Taki placed the berry pulp into the cooking pot, as Louis eventually struck a small fire. Its flames licked and caressed the metal pot, and soon, the sweet smell of fresh berry soup filled the air and lifted their spirits.

Tracey leaned in closer, inches from the pot. His eyes sparkled and drool ran the corner of his mouth.

"It looks ready now," blurted Tracey.

"Five more minutes," responded Taki. "Don't worry."

Tracey sat, bowl and spoon in hand, ready.

A thought struck Louis.

"Wait. Didn't you say that you didn't know how to cook anything else?" questioned the boy.

"Yeah, but there's no harm in learning new things," answered Taki.

"This is your first time making this?" asked Tracey.

Taki nodded.

"Hope it'll be okay," she said, hesitantly.

After some time, while the group slurped at the sweet soup, the conversation turned to their task.

"Hey, Louis," Tracey began. "Earlier, you mentioned travelling at night...why?"

Louis swallowed a mouthful of soup before answering.

"Well…" he started. "...I've been thinking about this thing."

Louis retrieved the crystal and held it in front of the group.

"It looks like there's only one shard left to find."

"...so?" inquired the young artist.

"So, the closer we get to finishing it, the more eyes will be upon us," explained Louis.

"The boy's right," interjected Venusaur, who then looked to the boy.

"Is this something you feel, or something you know?" it asked.

"...both," answered Louis.

The rest of the group watched the boy and Pokémon in conversation.

"Then you are the right person for the task..." the mature Venusaur said.

"...that feeling is important. Hold on to it, and when all seems lost, remember it."

Louis nodded.

He remembered something else, too.

His pendant.

"Oh!" startled Louis. "I forgot I had this."

He pulled the pendant out of his pocket and placed it around his neck.

Deep in the moment, Louis failed to see Tracey now seated away from the group, sketching the scene to his book. He looked up occasionally from his work, checking positions and scale, and continued on his art.

The sun dipped in the sky, and as they finished their food, Tracey packed up his sketchbook and yawned loudly, causing Taki to yawn as well.

"How about we rest for a bit, and when we can see the moon, we'll leave?" suggested Louis.

"Sounds like a plan," said Taki.

A restful hush settled upon the party, as each rested in their own way. Tracey snored, occasionally stirring Taki from her slumber. Louis did everything he could to sleep. He stretched out, relaxed, and closed his eyes. And yet, sleep evaded him. While his body relaxed, his mind raced, and before he knew it, the moon began to rise.

Totodile started to gather Taki's things together, as Tracey packed up his bag, and quietly, the travellers set off into the cold, wooded dark.

The wind bit at them, no longer a caressing warm breeze, but a chilling, finger-numbing cold. Tracey walked huddled, with his arms crossed in front of him, trying to conserve his warmth.

As the moon reached its peak, the group silently shuffled past twig and tree. A loud ***SNAP*** emitted from the back of the group, and they turned to see Tracey frozen in place, a broken branch under his foot.

"Shh!" hushed Taki.

"Sorry," whispered Tracey.

Slowly, the group turned and continued their hike. Minutes turned to hours and Tracey's heart raced in the darkness, and he struggled to keep up with the group.

The moon waned in the sky, beginning its descent towards morning, as Louis spotted a gap in the trees.

"We're almost out," he whispered, turning to the group. And noticing something amiss. Where there should be four heads looking at him, there were only three.

"Wait…" muttered the boy. "...where's Venusaur?"

* * *

**Uh-oh, what's happened?**

**Anyway, t****hanks for reading. Is there something you enjoyed? Can you guess what happens next? Or...what do you hope to see in future chapters? If so, go ahead and leave a review explaining any of these reasons. (Please don't leave hurtful reviews)**

**If you enjoy this story and don't want to miss out on future chapters, go ahead and follow/favourite this story so you will be notified when a new chapter is released. Heck, feel free to share this story with your friends.**

**Thanks again. See you next time**


	26. Chapter 26 - Will of the Wise

Panic found the group once again. A tiresome emotion, felt far too many times this week. Totodile looked around nervously as worry filled its heart.

"Where did it go?" questioned Tracey, scanning the nearby woods.

A feeling built within Louis, one that forced him to say words he wished he'd never have to repeat again.

"Something's wrong," he said. "You three wait here."

"Louis, hold on-" Taki almost finished the sentence before Louis spoke again.

"This is the last time, I promise," he reassured, stepping into the darkness.

"Taki…?" Tracey questioned.

The girl watched Louis fade into the night, concerned.

"He'll be ok," she answered.

Louis searched around every tree and bush, looking for the large Pokémon.

"Venusaur…!" he forced through a hushed breath. "Where are you?"

Silence found him, and yet, he refused to return to the group.

And then...he saw it.

A pinky-red flower, with white spots, shone in the moonlight. Venusaur's flower.

"Oh, there you are," spoke the relieved boy.

"Huh?" the words jolted Venusaur from her lunar gaze.

"Oh, Louis. You startled me," it said.

Louis trotted over and sat next to Venusaur.

"Sorry," he apologised, "Are you ok?"

Venusaur took a deep breath. A rasping accompanied the intake of air. The noise worried Louis.

"I am," she said, this time she spoke slower.

Louis gazed at her, reading wise, aged lines at the corners of her eyes, and wondered why he'd never noticed those before.

"You look kinda tired," he spoke.

The two sat silently for a while before Venusaur spoke again.

"Yes. Quite tired," it said. "I've walked many miles...many before you were born. I've seen sights that your kind wouldn't believe."

"Really?" questioned Louis.

"Yes," answered Venusaur. "...but this, Louis, this is my last walk."

"...I'm sorry?" asked the boy.

The words struck him like a tolled bell, echoing throughout his body, as a cold grip began to squeeze his heart.

"Are... you...leaving us?" offered Louis, knowing this wasn't the right question, but refusing to voice the words he needed.

The icy grip tightened in his chest.

She sat in silence for a while, the dawn air carried songs of waking birds, and the forest around them, stirring to life.

'No...this can't be,' thought Louis.

Soon the Venusaur rasped again.

"It was very important we met, young one. I had a feeling about you. That feeling led me to tell you of your father, and his involvement in your task."

Louis' eyes began to well up. He could sense what was coming.

"And ..." continued Venusaur, "That feeling also tells me to stop here."

"No...please get up," pleaded Louis. "W-...we can get you to a Pokémon Centre if you're sick."

"I'm not sick, Louis," replied Venusaur. "...I'm just...old."

"Child... your friends," the Pokémon continued, "It's not a mistake you met them..."

"The girl, her companion, and that boy care deeply for you, and that feeling will carry you through what awaits."

Louis relinquished his heart to the grip.

"What...awaits?" he quietly asked.

The elderly Venusaur turned her gaze to his.

"Darkness... then light."

Tears began to flow down Louis' face.

"You're leaving us, aren't you?" he stammered through a broken voice.

"Louis, don't be sad," she said, asking the impossible.

She placed a vine on the boy's shoulder.

"I've lived a very long life," continued Venusaur. "And for a while, I've known what's ahead for me."

"Find your strength in your friends." she finished.

"You're ready, and with them by your side, see this through!"

Louis was choked up on his emotions. So much so, that he quietly hyperventilated.

"Relax and breathe, boy," guided Venusaur. "Take in the eastern wind, close your eyes...and know your path."

Louis coughed back a whimper and took a deep breath.

As he closed his eyes, scenes distant played before him. A mountain, surrounded by darkness and below him, his friends, panicked but still there, and something else.

Louis jolted from the vision.

"W-...what…" he stuttered.

"Fear not, young one..." offered the wise creature in a soft, warm voice. "The Chief trusted you to this, and...I see...why."

Her vine began to loosen.

"No, no!" pleaded Louis. "Please don't go..."

The breeze warmed, and instead of a response, only the chirping of waking Spearows met his ears.

The vine gently slipped from Louis' shoulder and fell to the ground.

* * *

"...so those twinkles in the sky..," Taki continued, "...are stars! ...with little planets and moons orbiting them?!"

Tracey was stunned. He'd never truly thought about space and the fiery little sparkles that moved across the night sky.

A twig snapped in the distance and the two froze momentarily, before realizing it was Louis returning, alone.

Taki stared at the pale-faced boy approaching. She saw the tear tracks on Louis' face before Tracey could, and motioned for the child to round up Totodile.

"Louis, are you ok?" she asked.

"...no," responded Louis, solemnly.

"Are we ready to move?" asked the boy, his voice empty.

"Y-...yeah," answered Taki.

Saltwater began to form in Taki's eyes. She marched up to Louis and gripped him in a tight hug.

"We are here for you," she said softly to his ear.

Louis stared.

Ahead, Tracey chased a playful Totodile down a rough, dirt track. A track that led to the edge of the Bleakwood.

* * *

**NOOOOOOOOOOO! NOT VENUSAUR! DX. I'm really going to miss her...**

***sniff* Anyway...thanks...for reading. ****Is there something...*sniff* you enjoyed? Can you guess what happens next? Or...*sniff* what do you hope to see in future chapters? If so, go ahead and leave...a review explaining any of these reasons. (Please don't leave hurtful reviews)**

***sniff sniff* If you enjoy this story and don't want to miss out on future chapters, feel free to follow/favourite this story so you will be notified when a new chapter is released. ****Heck, feel free to share this story with your friends.**

**Thanks again. See you...*sniff* next time.**

***Crying***


	27. Chapter 27 - A Buoyant Reunion

Travelling with renewed purpose, Louis led the group away from the dark forest. Before them, wild fields of salt-swept grass. Small yellow flowers dotted the landscape, dancing in the light wind of the sunrise.

"It's so good to be out of there," said Tracey.

"Y-yeah, ...yeah it is," agreed Taki, while staring at a distant Louis.

The boy walked ahead, alone.

'I can't believe she's gone,' he thought. 'Why? Why her?'

There seemed to be nothing that could snap him out of this miserable trance. Louis' mind had been clouded by the mixed array of emotions he couldn't express to the others. It was beginning to take a toll on his psyche.

"Louis!" a voice called. "STOP!"

This time, it worked. The boy froze, suddenly taking in his surroundings. Ahead, where there should be more ground, lay an edge.

The group caught up with him as his hair wildly flung about in the sea breeze.

Three more steps and Louis would have plummeted down the sheer, rocky cliff toward the sea below.

Taki was about to speak when Tracey pointed into the distance. On the sea below, a red-sailed vessel bobbed on the water's surface, waves lapping at the pristine, white hull.

Louis' gaze stayed in the distance. On a landmass not far across the sea, a jutting point touched the clouds. A vast, foreboding mountain scratching the sky with dark, stone fingers.

"We may need that boat," said Louis, quietly.

Taki nodded as she began plotting a path, for the group, down the rockface, to an area protected from the sea.

Eventually, and cautiously, all four of them found the base of the cliffside, relaxing as sand found their feet.

Shapes emerged from the cabin in the boat, milling around the deck and checking sails. A bright, salmon-coloured headband drew Taki's attention.

"Hey, that person's got a similar headband to you, Tracey" she pointed.

"What?!" exclaimed Tracey, squinting.

Louis, failing to notice the details Taki could, produced the pair of binoculars from his bag. He was about to use them himself, before handing them to an excited Tracey.

"Here," he said. "These should help."

Tracey snatched the binos and whipped them to his eyes.

"I...don't believe it," he said with his jaw-dropping.

Then, in one motion, Tracey launched the binoculars over his shoulder and dropped his bag into the sand. No one expected what happened next.

The child ran into the sea, arms flailing in an attempt to swim. Taki panicked and instinctively focused on Totodile. She pointed at the struggling boy.

"Quick, help him!" commanded Taki, in a panic-broken tone.

The small Pokémon dashed seaward and were soon underwater, leaving only the noise of Tracey splashing toward the boat.

"What the heck are you doing?!" exclaimed Louis.

Ripples emerged next to Tracey as Totodile emerged, who bit Tracey's shirt and helped bring him to the boat. Tracey looked back to Louis and Taki.

"That's my parents!" he shouted.

A small smile formed in the corner of Taki's mouth. She picked up Tracey's backpack, turned to Louis and gestured toward the boat.

Tracey reached the hull. His fingers slipped against the white, wet fibreglass, before finding a mooring rope dangling off the port side of the vessel. Totodile scrambled up the rope first. Once reaching the top, it leaned back over and bit into the rope, struggling to draw it back up.

"Hey, where did that Totodile come from?" a male voice cried.

The boat's occupants ran to the small monster, confused. The female leaned over and saw Tracey, her son, climbing the rope.

"It's Tracey!" she exclaimed.

The male occupant gripped the dangling rope with tears building. An explosion of relief burst in Tracey's father's heart, and with an immense pull of the rope, hoisted his son on deck.

Tracey was about to speak when he was engulfed by the tightest hug he ever had.

"Where have you been all this time?" asked the happily sobbing mother.

Tracey looked off the boat.

"With them," he answered.

A few feet away in the ocean, Louis and Taki waded toward the boat, with Taki carrying Tracey's bag over her head.

"Who are they?" asked the father.

And, smiling, Tracey responded.

"My friends."

* * *

**Thanks for reading. Is there something you enjoyed? Can you guess what happens next? Or...what do you hope to see in future chapters? If so, go ahead and leave a review explaining any of these reasons. (Please don't leave hurtful reviews)**

**If you enjoy this story and don't want to miss out on future chapters, go ahead and follow/favourite this story so you will be notified when a new chapter is released. Heck, feel free to share this story with your friends.**

**Thanks again. See you next time**


	28. Chapter 28 - Boiling Point

The mother raised an eyebrow at her son.

"...so you were stuck in a tree?" she questioned.

"Mm-hmm," responded Tracey. "...until _they_ came along."

Waves beat the hull as the vessel sliced rapidly toward the distant island. At the wheel, the father turned and spoke to Louis.

"_That's_ where you want to go?" he questioned, pointing at the island.

The boy nodded solemnly.

"You saved my son," continued the father, "...so we at least owe you this."

Ahead, Totodile stood at the front of the deck as if commanding the boat by herself, pointing occasionally toward the island.

A wave, slightly larger than the last set, smashed into the front of the boat, sending it a further five-feet higher, before dipping back to a level sea.

The sudden lurching interrupted Taki's words, and she stood holding her stomach.

"...e-excuse me," she said before dashing to the side of the boat.

Tracey giggled before approaching the seasick girl. She stared with a pale face, wide-eyed into the ocean.

"Hang on…" the boy said before returning to his mother. As he approached the cabin, Tracey called to Taki.

"Mom makes just the thing! I don't need it anymore!" he added, proudly.

"Mom?" the boy asked. "Taki is-"

-"seasick… I know. I'll make her that snack I used to make you to settle your gut."

A bowl of mixed liquids were quickly whipped to a thick, gloopy, viscous drink, and she poured the pale liquid into a blue glass bottle.

"Make sure she just-"

"-...sips it, I remember, Mom."

The boy dashed back to Taki and waved the bottle at her.

The girl looked up from her contemplating sickness.

"Here, drink this," said Tracey.

"T-thanks," replied Taki.

She snatched the bottle from the boy and tilted it vertically to her mouth.

"Wait!" exclaimed Tracey. "You've gotta just sip it!"

The girl removed the drink from her mouth before tilting the bottle at a more acceptable sipping angle.

The father gripped the ship's wheel tighter, as the sea roughened around the approaching island. Eventually, he turned to Louis and broke the silence.

"Are you alright?" he asked. "You look a little glum."

Louis continued to stare off into the distance.

"Not...really," he responded.

The answer failed to convince Tracey's dad, who pressed further, sensing the boy's tension.

"Do you want to talk about it?" offered the father.

Seconds passed before Louis responded in a voice that betrayed his words.

"No."

A gust filled the sails once more. Soon, the destination loomed into their view. Several Mantine flapped gracefully alongside the vessel, almost flying underwater, before peeling away from the vessel as it approached the shallow waters of the island.

"This is as close as we'll get," said the father.

Louis marched to the front, attempting a better view. His jaw dropped. In front of him, anchored in the shallow waters, sat another boat. The vessel's sails filled in the winds, and a large red letter 'R' flashed at Louis' eyes. Urgency filled the boy, and a cold sweat formed on his arms.

"Taki!" he called. "We need to go!"

She took another sip. The bottle nearly completed, Taki placed it on the deck and started gathering her supplies as Totodile ran to her side. Instinctively, Tracey strapped his backpack on and was about to leave for the shores when a hand landed firmly on his shoulder.

"Whoa whoa," said the mother. "Where do you think you're going?"

Tracey spun on the spot.

"I need to help them," he pleaded.

"We just got you back," she said. "I don't want to lose you again,"

Tracey's father appeared at the group, as an idea formed in his mind.

"Whatever these three are up to, it's important," he explained to his wife.

"Something's eating at that Louis kid," he finished.

The father looked to Tracey.

"You can go, but you have to promise us you'll be safe,"

Tracey nodded ecstatically and clipped shut the final buckle on his backpack.

He looked up and noticed his parents whispering.

"It's ok," the father whispered to the mother's ears. "We're gonna follow them."

The group's feet splashed into the water and they struggled to keep up with Louis, who sprinted toward the Team Rocket vessel.

"Louis!" pleaded Taki. "Slow down!"

He couldn't hear her. His mild annoyance at spotting the vessel with the red 'R' turned to rage, consuming him.

In a minute, he was up and on the deck.

'Where are they?' he thought.

He searched above and below deck, looking for Team Rocket. Taki climbed on board, out of breath.

"Didn't you hear me?" she questioned. "I said slow down."

Louis still wasn't listening. Despite his efforts, the boy found no signs of Team Rocket anywhere.

"Nngh, they're not here," he growled.

Frustration built within Louis, eradicating rational thoughts. He momentarily thought about sinking the vessel, before Totodile interrupted.

"Hey, what's that?" it questioned, pointing toward the island.

"What's what?" replied Louis, squinting into the distance.

Deep in the island, between swaying trees, a man-made stone structure peeked back at them.

"This way," said Louis, jumping from the boat.

Taki turned to Tracey and sighed loudly.

"We better follow him," relinquished the girl.

Again, Tracey nodded, just happy to be with his friends.

* * *

**Thanks for reading. Is there something you enjoyed? Can you guess what happens next? Or...what do you hope to see in future chapters? If so, go ahead and leave a review explaining any of these reasons. (Please don't leave hurtful reviews)**

**If you enjoy this story and don't want to miss out on future chapters, go ahead and follow/favourite this story so you will be notified when a new chapter is released. Heck, feel free to share this story with your friends.**

**Thanks again. See you next time**


	29. Chapter 29 - Breakdown

The water's level dropped to his ankles as Louis placed his feet on the beach sand. He paused, allowing the group to catch up.

A splashing cacophony behind him signalled they were close.

Taki struggled to catch her breath, while Tracey bound through the waist-high sea, smiling.

"So, what are we doing again?" asked Tracey.

"How should I know?" responded Taki. "I'm just following Louis."

Louis continued to stare at the stone structure peeking through the trees. It returned their gaze like a giant, monolithic cyclops. It's entryway forming an unwelcoming eye that seemed to grimace directly at the party.

The rest of the party spotted the building as they moved closer to Louis

"I...don't think anyone has been here in a while," said Totodile.

Louis found pace in his legs again, and soon he was another fifteen-feet ahead of the group, single-minded in his purpose.

Tracey noticed Taki's breath becoming heavier.

"Hey, Louis!" called the boy. "Wait up!"

Louis failed to hear the words, already at the temple's, cold, white-stone door. With a struggle, the party regrouped.

Louis rolled his sleeves and cracked his knuckles, with determination in his eyes. He placed both hands on the door's cold surface, and with a grunt, pushed against the portal with all his strength.

Nothing.

The door, anciently heavy, didn't budge an inch.

Taki stepped towards the entrance of the temple, placed her hands on the doors and proceeded to join Louis in pushing the two blockades open.

Still nothing.

"What the hell?" groaned Louis. "It's stuck!"

Tracey, eager to help the party in any way possible, offered his strength to the effort. Suddenly, a deep click, like a mechanism sliding into place, reverberated through their fingertips on the door.

With a rumbling scrape, the ancient mass began to heave inward. And soon, the doorway that was an eye, opened to the party.

"Huh, I was wrong," voiced Louis. "It wasn't stuck."

"I don't think it was our strength," said Taki, and then, looking to the young boy, she added;

"I think it was him."

Footsteps echoed the ancient temple for the first time in a millennium. The walls carried the footfalls throughout the structure, and reached a crescendo as the group approached a large, silver statue in the centre of the aged architecture. Light from the outdoors reflected on the large depiction of a winged, horned, imposing creature

"Is that...Lugia?" said Taki, surprised.

"Huh," said Louis.

"Hey Tracey, you ever seen one of-..."

The boy was already sketching the scene before him.

"Guess not," finished Louis.

For a few moments, the group stood silently in the shadow of the Lugia.

"So...what is this thing?" asked Louis.

Taki cleared her throat and began to speak.

"From what I know, Lugia is often referred to as the 'Guardian of the Seas'. The chief once told me that Lugia was able to quell ceaseless fighting between other legendary Pokémon."

"So, this is the temple's guardian?" questioned Tracey.

"I'm not sure," answered Taki. "But...I'm guessing it's like Ho-Oh with my tribe."

"You're in a tribe? That's so-..."

A voice behind them interrupted the group's discussion. Not a new voice, either. But one that boiled Louis' blood.

"Prepare for trouble," dictated Cassidy.

"Make it double," added Butch.

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all peoples within our-"

"SHUT UP!" bellowed Taki, before noticing Louis, now in full sprint, toward the intruders.

"I've told you before!" the boy screamed, emotion quavering his voice.

"STAY AWAY FROM US!"

The boy launched himself with tremendous speed at Butch. However, he sidestepped before Louis could connect. Louis' loud, sudden outburst startled Cassidy and Butch, as well as the rest of the party.

"What's gotten into the twerp?" questioned Cassidy.

With the fury of an Ursaring that had awoken prematurely from its hibernation, Louis jumped back up and grabbed both Cassidy and Butch, pinning them to the wall.

"THIS IS THE FIFTH TIME NOW!" shouted the boy.

"Whoa, Louis!" called Taki.

"What are you talking about?!" growled Cassidy.

"Five times!" fumed Louis. "Five times you've gotten in our way."

"First in the misty forest, then Charicific Valley, outside Asagao Village, Bleakwood Forest, AND NOW HERE!" he listed. "And don't tell me you've forgotten all that!"

"Oh wow, you've got a sharp memory," snarked Butch.

Louis shifted his weight to his left foot and spun backwards, flinging the snarky Team Rocket member several feet across the temple's dusty surface. Butch tumbled under the force, scraping his knee and back.

"Butch!" cried Cassidy.

Louis' fiery eyes shifted to the female Team Rocket member.

"Next!" he growled.

In the blink of an eye, Taki charged toward the furious boy, not caring for her own safety.

"Louis, STOP!" she shouted.

Before Louis could grab Cassidy again, Taki locked her arms on his, preventing further damage.

"Both of you, get out of here!" she ordered. "Don't ever let us see you again!"

The boy with the bruises struggled to his feet and looked questioningly toward his partner. Cassidy nodded, and soon the pair left the place of worship.

"COME BACK HERE!" screamed Louis. "I'M NOT FINISHED WITH YOU BOTH!"

"Yes you are!" replied Taki.

She spun Louis around, until they both met each other's eyes.

"Look at me!" demanded Taki.

The wrath consumed the boy's heart. Sweat built upon him and he struggled to calm his breathing.

"Louis! Look at me!"

He stared, angrily at first, but eventually eased into a relaxed gaze within her oaken eyes. The girl then pointed to his pocket. Louis looked and saw that there was a glow emanating from the pocket.

After returning his attention to Taki, a tear slid down Louis' face. But then, another formed, and so on, until both sides of his face had steady streams of cascading tears. He gripped onto Taki, placing his face on her shoulders, sobbing profusely. The journey's events built within him to an immeasurable height, the pressure finally relieving itself through Louis' uncontrollable sobbing.

From outside the temple, Tracey's parents worried at the sight playing out in the structure.

"Oh dear," said the mother.

"He's exhausted," added the father.

"He must've been through a lot."

* * *

**Aw...poor Louis. Someone needs to give him a bunch of hugs.**

**Anyway, t****hanks for reading. Is there something you enjoyed? Can you guess what happens next? Or...what do you hope to see in future chapters? If so, go ahead and leave a review explaining any of these reasons. (Please don't leave hurtful reviews)**

**If you enjoy this story and don't want to miss out on future chapters, go ahead and follow/favourite this story so you will be notified when a new chapter is released. Heck, feel free to share this story with your friends.**

**Thanks again. See you next time**

**...P.S I've also created a Casting Call for making an audio reading of this story on Casting Call Club. If there are any VA's here that are interested, feel free to check it out.**

**Ok bye :)**


	30. Chapter 30 - Pieces made Whole

The boy in distress found solace in the hug of his friend. Waves of relief washed across the boy in a tidal surge of emotion. Soon, his heart calmed and his breathing steadied.

"There's only a little bit more to go," said Taki, positively.

"Your crystal is glowing again, that means we're close," she continued, smiling.

Louis attempted to smile back. He managed to form the face, but not the feeling.

"Uh,...guys?" called Tracey. "You said that Lugia was a guardian, right?"

"Yes?" questioned Taki.

– "Well, I think it's waking up!"

The pair focused their attention to the silver statue. Tracey pointed to the Lugia's head, where a white glow emminated like a diamond in a full moon's glint.

"Everyone, get behind me!" suggested Louis, snapping back to the mission's purpose.

The group covered behind the boy as the intense glow continued to fill the temple. Louis shielded his eyes, an effort that quickly became useless as a matching glow burst from his chest pocket. The quartet, now blinded by the dual sources of light.

A rattling sound from the direction of the statue built, and with it, rose the fears of the group.

And suddenly...silence.

The tiny shard housed on the Lugia ripped itself from the confinement and struck Louis in the chest like a bullet. The boy flew back from the impact, crashing into and through his friends. Taki and Tracey fell, screaming in panic.

Darkness flooded the temple once more, as Louis lay in agony, clutching his chest.

"Ow! Something hit me!" he groaned.

The group worryingly stared at the boy, before Tracey pointed at the now complete crystal.

"Whoa, how did you get that shard?" he inquired.

"Huh?" struggled Louis, winded.

"Louis, we got it!" said Taki, ecstatically.

Louis, still in pain, gazed at the pocket on his jacket. The complete crystal glowed, but the pocket in question now had a hole in it.

"Aw, my mom got me this," grumbled Louis.

Totodile trotted over to the fallen boy. It picked up the crystal from Louis' jacket. Mesmerised by the colourful display, Totodile's eyes twinkled.

"Cool," it muttered.

Panicked footsteps reached the entryway.

"What happened?!" shrieked Tracey's father. "Is everyone alright?!"

"I'm ok," voiced Tracey, and then a thought.

"Wait...did you guys follow us?" he asked.

"We wanted to make sure you were safe," answered Tracey's mother.

Soon, the group left the temple and arrived at the family's yacht, the Team Rocket vessel no longer visible.

'Good, they're gone,' thought Louis, hoping to never see the people with the red 'R' shirts ever again.

With a Herculean effort, Louis lifted himself to the white deck of the sea craft and assisted pulling the rest of the group on board. He staggered momentarily and collapsed to the wood and fibreglass deck, where an exhaustive, and restless sleep took control of him.

Hours of sailing passed, and as the mainland crept into view, Totodile, having stared at Louis through the last leg of the journey, formed an idea on waking the sleeping boy. It opened its jaws wide and approached the boy's arm. The Pokémon leapt toward its target. But then, it was caught mid-flight by its owner, Taki.

"Oh no you don't," she said, restraining the bitey creature. A frown formed on Totodile's face, upset that its grand idea was interrupted.

"Just soak him with water," whispered the girl.

This new idea got Totodile grinning again. A quick gush of water delivered to the boy's face would wake him. Totodile planted its feet and prepared to use its Hydro Pump ability. The force built up within the little Pokémon before a sharp jet of water ruptured across Louis.

Louis coughed and sputtered as the water cascaded from him to the deck.

"Whe-...where am I?" he said.

Totodile placed its claws on its hips and smiled in accomplishment. The boy was awake.

"We're back at the mainland!" called Tracey's father, answering Louis' question.

As they prepared to disembark, Louis noticed Tracey wasn't getting ready. He looked questioningly toward the young artist.

"I'm...gonna stay with my parents," said Tracey.

"We hope he's helped you..." said Tracey's father.

"...but we'd like our boy back," added Tracey's mother.

The boy approached with open arms and hugged Taki.

"Thank you for saving me," he said.

"Anytime, kid," replied Taki. "Just be safe, ok?"

Tracey nodded. He then turned to Totodile and swept up the little creature in a tight hug.

"Toto-dile," it voiced.

"Totodile said she'll miss you," translated Louis.

A confused visage crossed the parents.

"He can talk to them," explained Taki.

"Oooohhhhhh," realised Tracey's parents in unison.

Finally, Tracey approached Louis. They shared a warm embrace.

"Thank you, Louis," said Tracey. "And good luck."

"You too, Tracey," replied the boy. "I know you'll be a great sketch artist in the future."

"Just stay close to your parents, ok? They love you a lot," he finished.

Soon, the groups waved at each other as the vessel once again departed the mainland. Totodile, Taki and Louis splashed ashore as the vessel faded from sight.

A sense of accomplishment filled the group.

"Hey," voiced Taki.

"Hey hey," continued Louis, finally smiling.

All three began to laugh, eventually collapsing into the sand in hysterics, an impromptu outpouring of relief flooding the group.

"We did it..." spoke Louis, "...we actually did it."

Taki let the group sit in calm, before speaking.

"I … guess we are supposed to see the Chief now, right?" she launched the question at Louis.

"I suppose so," he answered.

The group rose to their feet, triumphantly.

"Then next stop…" Taki pointed through the trees.

"...the Ho-Ken...temp-"

Taki froze. The group joined her and stared into the sky. A dark, void-like shadow crept across the land and darkened the sky, blotting out the sun. Vast, lightning-filled thunderheads formed in the darkness. Louis spoke.

"Uh...what's going on?"

* * *

**Good news...the crystal is finally complete! The bad news...the sky has gotten dark for some reason.**

**Anyway, t****hanks for reading. Is there something you enjoyed? Can you guess what happens next? Or...what do you hope to see in future chapters? If so, go ahead and leave a review explaining any of these reasons. (Please don't leave hurtful reviews)**

**If you enjoy this story and don't want to miss out on future chapters, go ahead and follow/favourite this story so you will be notified when a new chapter is released. Heck, feel free to share this story with your friends.**

**Thanks again. See you next time**


	31. Chapter 31 - Three Words

Chief Tanaka stared to the blackened sky. Around him, the frantic movement of the tribespeople, coupled with their voiced worries, created a scene of chaos. Scizor approached the concerned leader.

"Chief?" it inquired.

The Chief's eyes lowered from the storm to the large Pokémon before him.

"It is time," he said.

"Should we prepare the village to leave?" the Scizor grumbled.

"Not yet," responded the old man.

The tribespeople continued to scurry under the darkness, many packed their valuable possessions as a near panic took hold of the once sleepy village.

In a loud voice, the Chief spoke again.

"It is the legend foretold! My people! Calm your souls!"

The Scizor looked left and right, seeing only continued panic, until, a young, scared girl approached the two.

"What's happening?" she cried, tears streaming down her face, too youthful to know the story of the crystal.

"Young one!" replied the Chief, "Fear not, return to your mother, and calm her."

The girl looked up with water-filled eyes.

"...and tell her..." he continued, smiling.

"...we have our best team handling this"

* * *

Many miles away, a man with brown hair, and a deep scar below his left eye, gazed into the darkness now blanketing the land. He subconsciously stroked the stubble on his tanned chin, lost in deep thought.

"A storm?" he pondered aloud.

But there was something else. Where there should be a clarity of thought, only a haze of confusion met him.

Miguel started to worry.

"I'll finish cataloguing next week," he said. "...if there is a next week."

Something pulled at him, something intangible, almost ethereal, gripped his heart and instilled a knowing.

An image formed in his mind, an island, as a strange drive took him over and he found himself, walking, toward the coast.

* * *

Totodile winced

"Something doesn't feel right," voiced Taki.

The event playing before them, unexpected in its arrival, greatly worried the trio. A glint in the darkness drew Louis' attention. A small, luminescent pinpoint of white light shone on the peak of a distant mountain.

"Hey look!" Louis pointed. "Isn't that the same peak where Tracey sketched the sunset?"

"Beg your pardon?" replied Taki.

Both the girl and Totodile turned their attention to the mountain in question, immediately spotting the glimmer of light.

"I think it is," voiced Totodile.

"Then that's where we're headed!" pointed the boy. The renewed confidence in his voice boosted his group, and Taki spoke.

"Good to have you back, Louis" she smiled.

The girl gathered up Totodile in her arms, and soon, with the coast behind them, they made their way into the darkened, shadowed mainland.

As they rounded a large tree, Louis collided with a figure, also attempting to round the same tree. The boy fell to the forest floor in a melange of shock and surprise. The man spoke.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going and I-..."

The man froze mid-sentence as his eyes widened at the sight before him.

"...Louis?"

The boy shook his head of the impact before realising who he had just walked into. His jaw fell.

"...Dad?!" he cried.

Louis rose to his feet as both individuals stared into each other's eyes. In an instant, they both embraced one another in a tight hug.

"Dad, what are you doing out here?" questioned the boy.

"I was about to ask you the same thing," answered Miguel.

Waiting for the right moment to speak, Taki drew the two individuals attention to her.

"Um, do you know anything about this weather, sir?" she questioned.

Miguel's face changed to an expressionless visage.

"I feel like I do..." he stated, "...but I can't find the thoughts."

Louis struggled to contain his next sentence. Eventually, the words forced their way out.

"Dad…" he started. "I want you to remember something, but I need you to focus on these words."

"What are they?" inquired Miguel.

"Tribe...crystal...falling," Louis listed.

A fire, microscopic at first, began to build within Miguel's mind. It travelled his brain's pathways, igniting small strands in its wake. The tiny flames met as one and formed a raging blaze of memory.

Suddenly, a distant, forgotten event revealed itself. A key to a lock in time turned, releasing Miguel from his amnesia.

Panic swept the man. An urgency hidden for thirty-two years gripped him, and he eventually spoke.

"The crystal!" he shrieked and stared into the sky.

"You three must've completed it now, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, but we don't know what to do now, Dad."

Miguel returned his gaze to the mountain and grinned.

"_I_ do."

* * *

**Thanks for reading. Is there something you enjoyed? Can you guess what happens next? Or...what do you hope to see in future chapters? If so, go ahead and leave a review explaining any of these reasons. (Please don't leave hurtful reviews)**

**If you enjoy this story and don't want to miss out on future chapters, go ahead and follow/favourite this story so you will be notified when a new chapter is released. Heck, feel free to share this story with your friends.**

**Thanks again. See you next time**


	32. Chapter 32 - The Summit

The group's legs pumped fiercely, carrying them deeper towards the distant peak. Louis wanted to speak, he wanted to ask questions, but the party continued on in silence, the boy allowing his father the peace to remember. His feet felt like dead, heavy timber, weighted by their travels, and yet he, and his group, continued on their shadowed path through the darkness.

Miguel leaned close to Taki, out of Louis' earshot.

"I was too panicked to say this earlier…" he paused. "...but thank you for looking after my son. ...um…"

"Taki," the girl answered. "My name's Taki."

Eventually, a question loosened itself from Louis' grip and found its way to his mouth, where he spoke.

"Dad, how much do you remember?" asked Louis.

Miguel chewed the question for a couple of minutes as his brain began reigniting lost memories. With a grin, he turned to his son and spoke.

"Everything," he answered.

Movement ahead. Something falling through the darkened forest between the adventurers and their goal. It fluttered, back and forth on the breeze, until finally coming to rest upon Miguel's forehead.

Taki burst into an uncontrollable giggle, and pointed at Louis' father, her face distorting in an attempt to stifle a burst of loud laughter.

"What's so funny?" questioned Miguel.

"Heh, nothing," answered Taki. "You've got something on your head."

A rather big, pink, delicate bow now adorned Miguel's head in an unwanted fashion display. Totodile jumped up and down, trying to get the bow from the man's head.

Louis's eyes shot skyward and locked to an orange shape circling above. Its wings beat at the darkness around as it descended rapidly toward the group.

"Err... Louis...Taki...get some cover!" yelled Miguel, and launched himself into a nearby bush, landing in a cacophony of disturbed shrubbery.

The rest of the party stood and watched Liza descend nearby, Charla's wings forcing dust and dirt into a cloud as its massive claws met the earth.

The girl with green hair dismounted the giant Pokémon.

"Liza!" yelped Louis.

The newcomers ran to the group. Miguel, meanwhile, poked his head out of the shrubbery to see the girl and her Charizard.

"Oh...it's just a Charizard," he muttered, emerging from the leafy growth.

"Hey! What's going on?" inquired Liza, pointing to the void-like darkness surrounding the area.

"Liza, there's no time to explain," answered Louis.

He outstretched an arm toward the looming peak.

"Can you get us to the top of that mountain?"

Charla spotted Miguel approaching the group. It turned to Louis.

"Is he with you?" it asked.

"Yeah, that's my Dad," answered Louis.

Turning her attention to Miguel, Liza noticed the pink bow lying on top of Miguel's head.

"Oh, there's Charla's bow," she said.

"Huh?" replied Miguel.

Liza trotted over and lifted the bow from the man's head. She walked back over to Charla and placed the bow back on its head. Charla smiled.

With renewed vigour, Liza leapt onto the back of Charla.

"Hop on," she said. "She'll struggle, but Charla will make it."

With everyone aboard, Charla began beating the air with its wings as the group held on tight. Soon, the strenuous effort carried them into the dark sky above, as Charla grunted under the strain.

The wind slapped them in a series of cross-breezes as they ascended, and Taki squeezed Totodile close to her body. The little Pokémon shook, decidedly unfavourable toward this mode of transport, and with a thrust of Charla's wings, they soared toward the peak.

Below, the usually quiet lands bustled with movement, a disturbed movement of irregular panic sending the occupants of the land to a scurry.

"Whoa, look at the commotion down there," said Louis.

"You're telling me," replied Liza.

Suddenly, Charla dropped a-hundred-and-fifty feet, sending its passengers' stomachs to their throats. Miguel forced a hand to his mouth and managed to contain the wave of sickness.

The glinting peak light, now a large white orb, sat merely metres before them.

"We can't land here," cried Liza. "We'll need to find a flat spot."

The group circled the peak, descending a further hundred-feet and Charla reared in the air, dropping its feet to the shale cliffside. She slid a further distance and nearly faltered until it finally found purchase on the barren rock.

The group scrambled off of Charla's back, preparing to climb here. Louis shifted his attention to Liza and Charla, as loose rocks and pebbles cascaded from their footsteps to the wooded lands below.

"You two, wait here," he said. "We'll be right back."

The quartet bouldered up the rockface, a desperate scramble to the mountain's peak. Louis felt something tug at his chest, but shook the sensation clear, focusing on the climb above.

Their hand and footholds became pained, as sharper, loose shale met their climb, and Taki's hands clenched any available grip she could find. Louis continued scrambling, climbing a further ten feet above the others, occasionally sending more pebbles down into his friend's path.

Then, with a shriek, Taki fell. Her eyes widened, and her face paled, as the mountain began to fall from her view.

Louis froze, peering over his shoulder to see Taki's terrified face plummeting toward the distant ground.

"Taki!" shrieked Totodile.

Suddenly, a hand slapped hers, gripping it in a vice-like clench.

"I got you," yelled Miguel, strained.

"Louis! Keep going!" he ordered.

Louis nodded and quickly climbed up to the peak. Getting close to the source of the ray of light, Louis reached into his pocket but felt nothing inside.

The crystal was gone!

The boy gasped and began sweating profusely, panicking at the now missing crystal.

"Where did it go?! Where is it?!" he shouted.

A chasm of nothingness swept through the child and he struggled to form thought.

'It's gone!' he thought. 'I failed! This has all been for nothing!'

Something nearby cleared its throat, startling Louis as he turned his attention to the origin.

Three pairs of mischievous eyes formed out of the darkness.

Bodies formed around the eyes and Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar appeared before the child and floated around him, mockingly.

"You three again?!" groaned Louis.

Haunter grinned at the boy.

"Looking for this?" it said.

Out of its hand appeared the crystal, beginning to glow brighter than before.

Louis attempted to swipe the crystal from them, but not before the spirit could toss it over the boy's head to one of its buddies. The boy tried again, and the crystal was tossed once more.

Louis growled out of sheer frustration.

"Listen!" he bellowed, stopping the ghost Pokémon in their tracks.

"I don't mind if you're all trying to get back at me for scaring you, but right now, something serious needs to be fixed and you're not helping!"

The three giggled.

Gengar began to wind up another throw, before catching Louis' gaze. It had never seen a face like this, pained, tired, and desperate. It lowered its throwing arm.

"Please...if I don't fix this, the region could be stuck in darkness forever, and you won't be able to scare anyone ever again."

Silence found the confrontation, as the silence of the darkness once again took hold.

"Alright, I'll make you a deal," Louis began. "If you give back the crystal, I'll give you one free scare...to me!"

The three Pokémon looked at each other for a few moments.

"You can get me at any time, even when I'm asleep," added the boy. "Just please give me the crystal!"

The troublesome group exchanged a series of nods, agreeing on the proposition. Gengar walked over to Louis and gave the crystal back.

"Thank you," said Louis.

The boy spun around to the light. He was about to start walking until…

"Boo!" shouted Gastly.

Louis froze and turned to Gastly with an annoyed expression.

"Not now!" he said. "Save it for a better time!"

Louis placed hands and feet to the rockface again and continued up the rough surface toward his goal before some shouted words found him.

"Good luck, Ghost-Kid!" the spectral trio announced in unison.

He smirked and boosted himself higher up the peak. Above, a small outcrop shone with pale, white light, and soon, he set foot in the small alcove.

Louis held up the crystal and moved closer to the shining beam. Suddenly, the crystal began to shake in Louis' hand, vibrating its form in an almost ungraspable manner. Louis clutched it in both hands, containing its awkward vibrato.

One foot in front of the other, Louis arduously approached the ray and with a final effort raised his arms, and the crystal into the light.

* * *

**Oh, man. This is it. Louis and the others are about to complete their objective. I wonder what's gonna happen next chapter?**

**Thanks for reading. Is there something you enjoyed? Can you guess what happens next? Or...what do you hope to see in future chapters? If so, go ahead and leave a review explaining any of these reasons. (Please don't leave hurtful reviews)**

**If you enjoy this story and don't want to miss out on future chapters, go ahead and follow/favourite this story so you will be notified when a new chapter is released. Heck, feel free to share this story with your friends.**

**Thanks again. See you next time**


	33. Chapter 33 - A Flight of Legend

The mountain trembled in Miguel's grip, a rumbling verging on an earthquake emanated from the barren peak. Digging a heel into a foot-hole, Miguel twisted, lifting Taki from her precarious position. The girl, pale as a ghost, snatched at and held the boulder next to Miguel.

Taki wiped tears from her eyes with her shoulder sleeve and attempted to regain her composure.

"Thank you," she said, gratefully.

Again, the mountain shook. Pebbles dislodged and formed a near landslide of tumbling stone.

"Incoming!" yelled Miguel. "Lean into that boulder!"

Taki held onto the boulder with all her might. Totodile jumped onto the girl's back while Miguel crawled to the boulder. The vast stone shielded the trio from a majority of falling rocks, with only a few actually striking them.

The man looked to the ray of light.

'I hope he's ok,' he thought.

The crystal's glow grew brighter in Louis' grip. Suddenly, an indescribable fusion of energy, a rainbow of flux, burst from the jagged artifact. Then, the mountain, the world and all its inhabitants faded from Louis' view, replaced by a blinding, bright-white void.

There was no ground here, and yet his feet met a surface that supported his weight, there was no oxygen, and yet he could breathe.

A tone, low at first, built itself to a voice. A voice that spoke.

"You've done well, child,"

The boy craned his neck to lock eyes with the creature.

The white room began to fade back to the mountain. A large, bird-like entity stood before Louis.

It extended its wings and stared toward the darkness encapsulating the world.

"I'll handle it from here," it said.

Realisation dawned on the boy. He had seen the creature's feathers before, the Chief had placed one in his tea. Louis, near-speechless, attempted to speak the creature's name.

"You're…" he paused.

Below, Taki peered past the boulder to the sight above.

"...Ho-Oh?" she exclaimed.

The word shook Miguel and he too stared above.

"No way, he did it!" shouted Miguel, as his heart swelled with pride.

Seconds later, the feathered entity leapt from its peak and plummeted. It fell, wings close to its body, past Miguel, Totodile and Taki. A powerful wake of air nearly brushing them off the cliff-face as it descended.

As it approached the ground, Ho-Oh's wings flicked and unfurled, catching the wind.

It's velocity and aerodynamics thrusted it back into the sky and the legendary Pokémon began to soar. It passed the group again, this time on its ascent.

As Ho-Oh flew past the peak, it tucked its wings once more before extending them out to full-span. At this, a shockwave burst forth, annihilating the darkened clouds surrounding the area.

Sunlight, a beautiful golden beam, found its way to the earth, bathing the location in golden hues.

Chief Tanaka gazed at the sunlit mountain in the far distance, as a smile formed on his aged and weathered face.

"They've done it," he said to himself.

Ho-Oh soared through the sky with incalculable speed. A vast rainbow formed in its passing, a wake of hope destroying the darkness it touched as it spread throughout the world's sky.

The Ho-Oh continued, and soon its flight crossed the entire landmass, with it, the sun returned to the fields, town, and creatures below.

For the first time in days, a real sense of ease found the boy, and for a while, he stared at the sight before him.

But then, something touched his head. Startled, Louis flailed an arm upward, attempting to dislodge this new unknown. His hand brushed something, something soft and light, which then fluttered to the rocky floor. A plume of white and orange stared back up at him.

"A...a feather?" said Louis.

Some distance away, an unaware fisherman looked to the dissipating clouds.

"I told you the storm would pass," he said to his Meowth, who looked at him in a quizzical manner.

"Let's bait up!"

The Pokémon shrugged and helped the man fix his hook before the man spoke again.

"Today is going to be fantastic!"

* * *

**WHOA! Ho-Oh?! Incredible!**

***clears throat* Sorry. ****Thanks for reading. Is there something you enjoyed? Can you guess what happens next? Or...what do you hope to see in future chapters? If so, go ahead and leave a review explaining any of these reasons. (Please don't leave hurtful reviews)**

**If you enjoy this story and don't want to miss out on future chapters, go ahead and follow/favourite this story so you will be notified when a new chapter is released. Heck, feel free to share this story with your friends.**

**Thanks again. See you next time**


	34. Chapter 34 - Tea for Three

Hours later, the Ho-Ken temple's doors flew open. Four sets of bruised, tired feet crossed its threshold as the temple's familiar sandalwood scent formed a calming aroma. Louis, Taki and Totodile were relieved to be back, while Miguel faced a wave of awakened memories.

Scizor walked past the quartet of individuals.

"Chief," it called. "They're back."

A booming laugh echoed from the back of the temple.

"Of course they are," replied Chief Tanaka.

Miguel froze, the voice stopping him on the spot.

Chief Tanaka walked over to the group with a proud smile upon his face. He quickly embraced Louis, Taki and Totodile in a tight hug. They all laughed.

"Thank you all," praised Chief Tanaka. "I couldn't be any happier."

Miguel looked on in both amazement and awe.

"Chief Tanaka…?" blurted Miguel.

The Chief looked up from the embrace and stared at the speaking man, recognition slowly began to piece together in his mind.

"...is that really you?" asked Miguel.

"You know my name?" replied Chief Tanaka.

Miguel's face shifted into a beaming smile.

"Of course," he said. "It's me, Miguel!"

The old man squinted his eyes at Miguel.

"...Miguel?" he said.

The man nodded in reply. Eventually, the Chief approached the man who bore a resemblance to Louis. Chief Tanaka took a quick glance at the child before speaking.

"I knew the boy had something to do with the tribe!" he cheered.

Moments of grateful silence filled the temple. Then, the Chief and Miguel both locked in a tight, overdue hug.

"Miguel," said the elder. "By your face, I can sense some gaps have been filled in that memory of yours?"

"Yep. Thanks to my son," replied Miguel, proud of his boy.

The two individuals shared a few words before tightly hugging one another again. Louis grinned.

"It's so good to be home," said Totodile.

Taki spotted the movement out of the corner of her eyes. A pair of wings fluttered excitedly near a corner of the ancient temple.

"Hey Totodile," said Taki. "Look who it is!"

Taki pointed in the direction of the movement. Totodile looked over and saw that it was one of its good friends.

"Butterfree!" it cheered.

"Welcome back, Totodile," replied Butterfree.

Totodile bounced and hopped around the Butterfree, occasionally pointing to her head bow, as she demonstrated events from the journey. They both laughed a few times during the retelling.

"Are they friends?" asked Louis.

"Yep," answered Taki.

"It doesn't say much, but that Butterfree spends most of its time with Totodile," she added.

Louis, intrigued by this new information, smiled.

_She doesn't say much._  
– Those words awoke a hidden idea within Louis.

"Hey Taki," said the boy, with a grin fully formed.

"Can we heat some water? For tea?" he suggested.

"Oh...um, sure," responded Taki.

Soon, the girl returned with a heated pot of water and several clay cups.

The boy approached his father, deep in conversation with the Chief, and waited for a pause in their cheerful banter.

"Excuse me, Dad?" inquired Louis. "Do you want some tea?"

"Sure!" his father exclaimed. "I love tea!"

"What type is it?" he added.

"Uh…" the boy paused. "...I don't know."

"It's Jasmine," answered Chief Tanaka.

"Great, thanks," said Miguel.

Louis motioned for the group to sit. As Taki poured hot water through jasmine-filled tea strainers, Louis carefully retrieved an item from his pack.

The Ho-Oh's long feather almost glowed in the temple's fire-light, a bright, luminous plume, and the boy placed it near the cups, as the chief watched on in approval.

Louis used the feather to stir the tea around for each individual. A questioning look crossed Miguel's face.

"Uh, Louis?" he asked. "What exactly are you doing?"

"Just stirring the tea," answered Louis. "I know it's strange using the feather."

Chief Tanaka stifled a laugh.

As the group lifted their cups and prepared to sip the green drink, the Chief spoke.

"To friends and family...and those that couldn't be here."

The words shot through Louis like a bullet.

Venusaur.

"Y-...yeah," he muttered, solemnly.

To Louis' surprise, the taste was much different to the last time he had the tea.

"Ah. That is good," said Taki. She sat in silence before momentarily falling backwards, unconscious.

Miguel was about to react to Taki's impromptu nap, when he too fell, hunched, into a deep sleep.

And yet, as Louis finished his serving of the liquid, he remained awake and alert.

"Taki!" shrieked Totodile. It dashed over to the slumbering Taki, worried for her well-being.

"What happened?" it questioned.

"Don't worry," reassured Louis. "She'll be fine."

The chief stood, and soon brought pillows to the sleepers.

"You've done well, boy," he said.

"Thanks," replied Louis.

"By the way, why didn't the feather work on me?" he questioned.

"You already had the abilities from within," answered Tanaka.

"The unconsciousness only occurs with individuals who have yet to possess these rare features."

"When will they wake up?" inquired the boy, as he stared at the concerned Totodile.

"It's usually a full sun-pass," answered the Chief.

For a time, silence found the temple again, before the chief sat near the sleepers.

"You are tired, too..." said the Chief. "..and though you think your journey is complete, your path has only just begun."

More silence as the words hung in the temple's arches, and Louis' thought.

'That's right,' he said, internally. 'We've been away for days, met loads of different Pokémon, and even made new friends along the way.'

"You'll go home, and you'll live peacefully," said the elder. "But I don't think the world has heard the last of Louis Serrano."

Taki stirred in her sleep.

Behind them, an elderly woman with tied-up grey hair, wearing a green yukata, approached the boy.

'Wait a minute," thought Louis. 'I think I recognise that lady.'

It was the same lady that Louis saw when he first came to the temple, who appeared to be very sad at the time.

The lady pulled Louis in a tight hug.

"Thank you...thank you," said the lady.

Louis blinked twice.

"...I'm sorry, for what?" he questioned.

"Bringing my son back home," answered the lady.

The revelation struck the boy. This was the woman walking with Miguel when he fell.

"It's been a long time. I never thought I would see him again," she continued, approaching the sleeping man.

Louis' heart rapidly sped.

"You're my grandmother?!" he exclaimed, shattering the silence of the temple, before apologising for his ill-chosen volume, grinning sheepishly.

Taki rolled and began mumbling in her sleep, stirring from her slumber. Miguel followed suit.

The woman looked toward Louis.

"What did you say?" she asked, before noting a familiar similarity in the boy's smile.

She regarded the child with kind eyes.

"We can talk when he wakes up," said the grandmother.

Taki yawned and moaned uncomfortably as her eyes finally opened. She sat up and rubbed her forehead.

"Ugh, what a dream," she mumbled.

"Are you ok?" a voice questioned.

Taki looked toward Louis, but he was metres away, already occupied. She glanced down as a small, blue Pokémon with large teeth, tugged at her arm.

"You feeling alright, Taki?" asked Totodile.

Taki's eyes widened.

No longer a series of 'Toto-dile' sounds, the Pokémon's speech formed a series of very real words, words that Taki now understood.

The girl smiled at the Pokémon.

"Never better," she answered.

A shuffling of footsteps approached the group.

"Awake so soon?" said Chief Tanaka, surprised at the temple's motion.

Miguel groaned and shifted to his side, before kicking his own leg and sitting upright.

He yawned and stretched his arms outright.

"I haven't slept like that since...forever," said Miguel.

The man felt something tapping his shoulder. He looked to his left and saw both Louis and the lady.

"Hello son," said the lady, with tears in her eyes.

A face lost in over thirty-years of memory addressed Miguel.

She smiled and threw open her arms, sweeping her family up in a loving grip. A tangible relief invaded the temple at the reunion.

Taki and Totodile approached the scene.

"Hey, Louis' dad is awake," Totodile spoke.

Louis, Miguel, and the grandmother looked to the duo walking toward them.

"Mind if we join in?" asked Totodile.

Taki giggled. Miguel looked at the Totodile with a mixture of shock and surprise.

"Did...did that Totodile just talk?" he asked.

"You can thank the tea for that," Louis and the grandmother said in unison.

For the night, the group ate, talked, and rested. Taki and Louis relayed the journey's events to the Chief. The discussion passed into the late hours, occasionally punctuated with laughter and tears. Eventually, the sun rose on the temple once more.

They woke together and ate together. As Louis was describing Tracey's art, Miguel spoke.

"Louis…" he said, hoisting a shoulder bag. "...it's time."

"Time for what?" asked Louis.

"Time to go home."

* * *

**Wow, the journey has almost ended. What a wild ride.**

**Thanks for reading. Is there something you enjoyed? Can you guess what happens next? Or...what do you hope to see in future chapters? If so, go ahead and leave a review explaining any of these reasons. (Please don't leave hurtful reviews)**

**If you enjoy this story and don't want to miss out on future chapters, go ahead and follow/favourite this story so you will be notified when a new chapter is released. Heck, feel free to share this story with your friends.**

**Thanks again. See you next time**

**PS: I will be editing a majority of the previous chapters over time, so expect a few changes to the past lot of chapters.**

**OK, bye**


	35. Chapter 35 - Homecoming

The father and son fastened their gear and prepared to leave the temple, until Taki and Totodile ran to them

"Hey, wait up!" called Totodile. "We're coming with you!"

"...but just to the edge of the forest," smiled Taki.

Miguel noticed his mother.

"Hey Mom, why don't you come with us?" he suggested.

She gathered her words before speaking.

"I've lived here as long as I can remember," she answered. "This is my home."

"As much as I would like to come, I'd rather stay," she continued.

"You'll visit us soon, right?" asked Louis.

"Of course," answered his grandmother.

As the group approached the edge of the temple's grounds, the Chief called out.

"Farewell Serrano's!"

Both father and son simultaneously gestured a thumbs up above their heads. The large Scizor, the temple's security, loomed before them.

"Nice work out there, kid," it said.

"Thanks, Scizor," replied Louis, warming with the acknowledgement.

Taki and Totodile guided, leading the way through the forest before Taki reached into her pocket and retrieved a Pokéball.

"Hey, Louis," called Taki. "Catch!"

She threw the item to the boy. It arced in the air, a spiral of red and white, before Louis successfully managed to snatch it from its flight.

"A Pokéball?" pondered Louis. "Why?"

"In case you ever change your mind," replied Taki.

The idea of training filled his thoughts again.

"Gotcha'," he said.

"That used to be my Pokéball..." spoke Totodile. "...but you can have it. Taki doesn't use it anymore."

Soon, the trees thinned, as the sounds of a running river grew. Taki stopped walking.

"This is as far as we'll go, Chief's orders," she said.

After they said their goodbyes, Taki picked up Totodile, who continued to wave at the Serrano's, who waved back until they were out of sight.

"I PROMISE I'LL VISIT!" called Louis, into the distance.

Both individuals approached the bridge leading home.

The bridge with the Gyarados'.

"As long as they don't see you as a threat, they won't attack," whispered the boy.

Miguel nodded.

"There's that kid again," muttered one of the Gyarados'. "Should we let them pass?"

"As long as he doesn't throw a rock at us again," the second responded.

"I won't!" called Louis.

Miguel stared at the exchange, chuckling.

Before long, the village of Flash Town rose before them. Within it was the Serrano family home. The family's Pidgeotto spotted the pair from the windowsill.

"Well well, look who came crawling back," it snarked.

A quizzical expression crossed Miguel's face.

"Was it always this rude?" he asked.

"Maybe," replied Louis.

The door swung open and father and son stepped over the threshold.

"Is someone there?" called Janet, from a bedroom.

"Yeah, your husband and son," answered Miguel, smiling.

She whooshed from the bedroom to the front door. A wide range of emotions flowed through her, before settling on relief.

"I'm so glad you're both okay," Janet spoke.

"Did you get my letter?" asked Louis.

"Just yesterday, I was worried sick," answered his mother. "The letter said you were with friends. Where are they?"

"...home," responded the boy.

As regular household life returned, Louis went to his room and began unpacking. Clothing fell from it, a Pokéball, binoculars, and something else…

...a scroll of sketches unfurled on his bed. The first...a beautiful sunset from a mountain peak. The next one, a happily dancing Totodile.

"H-how did Tracey get these in my bag?" the boy wondered.

Thinking back to the time Tracey travelled alongside him and Taki, Louis remembered how they shared one last embrace before departing. He realised that Tracey must have slipped the scroll of sketches into his bag without noticing.

"Clever boy," he said, chuckling.

There was one more sketch...one that Louis had never seen before. ...It was one with Louis and Venusaur in a moonlit glade.

Louis dropped the parchment. He grew cold, and tears welled in his eyes, as the boy fell to his knees, sobbing, while clutching the paper. Soon, Janet rushed into the room.

"Louis, ...are you alright?" she said, glancing down at the sketch.

"Is that one of your friends?" she continued.

Louis couldn't answer, barely managing a nod as more tears flowed through his eyes. It was all Janet needed to understand. Her son had lost a friend.

"Hey, Louis," said Janet. "You're grieving. Do you know what grief is?"

Louis shook his head.

"Grief is just love with nowhere to go," explained his mother. "It's stuck in you. Whoever this was, they'd want you to be happy, and for you not to be so sad."

At that moment, the pair hugged, and Louis fell asleep in his mother's arms.

* * *

**Aww, what a way to end the chapter.  
Oh, and just so you are all aware, the next chapter posted will be the last one for this story. It's been a great run.**

**Thanks for reading. Is there something you enjoyed? Can you guess what happens next? Or...what do you hope to see in future chapters? If so, go ahead and leave a review explaining any of these reasons. (Please don't leave hurtful reviews)**

**If you enjoy this story and don't want to miss out on future chapters, go ahead and follow/favourite this story so you will be notified when a new chapter is released. Heck, feel free to share this story with your friends.**

**Thanks again. See you next time**


	36. Chapter 36 - Mail Call

A deep slumber, in which, due to the finality of an adventure completed, restrained dreams, and halted nightmares, as Louis finally rested.

He slept the remainder of the day, and solidly through the night, finally stirring to the sounds of morning activity from the kitchen.

Janet held a pot, and added oats to form the basis of porridge, as Miguel sat with hungry eyes, cheerfully awaiting breakfast.

"I've missed this," he said with a sigh, as the house began to fill with the morning's sunlight.

"So, where did you find Louis?" asked Janet, turning with a finished bowl of hot, sugary porridge.

"He was on the coast, travelling with a girl and a Totodile," responded Miguel.

"A girl… ah! You mean Taki?" she said and thought about the Spirited youth. Moments later, the family's Pidgeotto suddenly leapt upward and flew into the sky.

"Where's it going?" inquired Miguel.

"We must have some mail," guessed Janet.

Soon, a flapping of wings descended from the sky, landing on the families' kitchen windowsill.

Louis' bedroom door flung open, and through the portal swept his mother, holding a very official-looking letter.

The boy shot up at the commotion.  
In front of him, his mother stood, smiling.

"Louis," she said softly. "This is addressed to you."

The envelope was a pristine white, with red bordering and delicate calligraphy scrawled its face.

Louis rubbed the sleep from his eyes and stared at the well-presented correspondence.

"Who's it from?" questioned the boy.

"It doesn't say," replied Janet.

Louis turned the envelope. On the back, sealing it shut, sat a red glob of wax.

It was stamped with a design of a Pokéball.

He broke the seal, red wax falling to the bedroom floor, and slowly peeled open the letter.

* * *

_**To: Louis Serrano,**_

_**From: National Pokémon Academy**_

_**It has come to our attention that your actions of the past week have been of great importance to the Johto Region.**_

_**We would like to meet you and discuss a possible placement for you within our academy.**_

_**We hope this correspondence finds you well and you'll consider our offer.**_

_**Many thanks for your efforts.**_

– _**Board of Directors**_

_**The National Pokémon Academy**_

* * *

Miguel entered Louis' room.

"What's going on in here?" inquired Miguel.

"Louis got a letter from a Pokémon Academy," answered Janet, excitedly.

"...the Johto Academy?" questioned Miguel, taking a sip of water.

"No..." responded Louis.

He looked at his parents with a look of amazement.

"...the _National_ Pokémon Academy!" he continued.

Miguel spat his drink at the revelation.

"What do _they _want?!" he asked, surprised.

"I'm guessing that they want me to be a student there…" Louis paused. "...and most likely become a Pokémon Trainer."

Janet and Miguel blinked twice.

"And...are you going to do it?" inquired the mother.

The events of the journey replayed in the boy's mind. Totodile, Tracey, and Taki, sights seen, and the bonds formed. The towns, their residents, and the myriad of Pokémon he met along the way.

Louis fell silent before turning to his parents. He spoke once more in a voice of finality, grinning with confidence.

"...yes."

THE END

* * *

**Wow, I'm speechless.  
This is the first story I've ever completed. I never thought I'd get this far.**

**Well, uh...thanks for reading this story. Did you like it? What did you expect would happen in this story? Are you interested in a sequel?  
Either way, feel free leave a review detailing any of these options above. (Please don't leave hurtful reviews)  
**

**Even though this story is over, that doesn't mean that you don't have to follow the story, because there may be a chance that an announcement for a sequel will be shown on this story, so stay tuned. And please feel free to share this with your friends.**

**Thanks again. Buh-bye for now.**


	37. SEQUEL IN PRODUCTION

**Hello everyone. This is Toadly1998.**

**I just want to thank you all for the support you have shown while reading this story. It means so much.**

**And also...**

**I am very pleased to announce that the sequel to Pokemon: One of a Kind is now in development.**

**When I put up the first chapter of the sequel, I will notify everyone here of the event.**

**Thanks for everything. See you...some time.**


	38. SEQUEL IS NOW LIVE

**Hello everyone. This is Toadly1998.**

**I am very pleased and honoured to announce that the sequel to One of a Kind is now up on **

**It is called...****Pokémon: United Bonds.**

**Chapter 1 is now live on the story, so what are you waiting for?**

**I hope you all enjoy ****Pokémon: United Bonds**


	39. BOOK 3 IS NOW LIVE

**Hello fellow readers. This is Toadly1998.**

**I'm happy to inform you that the third book of the Louis Serrano Chronicles, is now up on .**

**The story is called...****Pokémon: Free Will.**

**Chapter 1 is now live for your viewing pleasure.**

**I hope you all enjoy reading.**


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